The Storm of Light: The New Beginning
by shaun1e
Summary: A new face appears at Duel Academy in Jaden and the gang's second year. With the Society of Light and the Shadows ready to strike, can this student help stop both of these threats? WARNING: OC overload! Announcement-please read latest chapter!
1. Important announcement: Mk 2

A note

Good news, everyone: the rewrite has finally begun! It should be visible on my author page pretty soon, if it isn't already. Feel free to take a look! Alternatively, read on if you want to have a look at the original first.


	2. Entry Level and New Times,New Challenges

Hey all, Shaun1e here. This story is kind of a new thing for me, as the last time I did creative writing was in school-two or three years ago. So fair warning-it may suck. Please feel free to leave reviews with informative and constructive comments.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

Quick note, to help you understand the story better: Italics when a human character is involved is their thoughts, while normal writing is their spoken words. Duel Spirit talking is done in only italics.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough ready to use.

* * *

Chapter One: Entry Level

(Told from Shaun's perspective.)

Duel Academy. The most famous of its kind in the world. Consistently releasing students that become either top Pro duellists, earning lots of money, or high-ranking Duelling teachers. To be honest, I'm not sure what I want to be, but I know that I need to get into the school before I can worry about that. I arrived at the Kaiba Corp Blue-Eyes Arena about an hour ago, for the entrance test-which is a duel, unsurprisingly-and just need to wait for my name to be called.

"Will Shaun Chandler please report to Duel Arena Three for your duelling test." The intercom woke me up from my thoughts, and I headed down to the arena, passing a duellist who was coming out of the arena.

"Hey mate." the duellist said. "You must be Shaun. I'm Craig Devlin, pleased to meet ya."

I shook hands with him. "Pleased to meet ya too, Craig. I'm guessing you're in."

"Yep," he said, smiling. "Good luck for your match, and see you in Duel Academy."

"See ya soon, Craig." I smiled as I entered the arena.

"Greetings, duellist." The duel proctor smiled as I entered the arena. "You must be Shaun Chandler. My name is Professor Miles Benson, deputy head of Obelisk Blue."

"Good to meet you, sir." I said, smiling back. "Shall we begin?"

"Yes, we shall." The proctor said, losing the smile. "Good luck, Shaun."

DUEL!  
Prof. Benson: 4000

Shaun: 4000

"I'm the proctor, so I'll start." Prof. Benson drew a card. "I summon Red Gadget in Attack Mode." The small red gear appeared on the field. (1300/1500) "This lets me bring Yellow Gadget to my hand." He did so, then continued. "I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Ah, Gadgets, this could be fun. Draw." I said, looking at my starting cards. "I summon Machina Soldier, in Attack." The robotic soldier appeared on the field, opposing the Gadget. (1600/1500) "My Soldier lets me summon another Machina monster, except for another Soldier, so I'll bring out my Machina Sniper, also in Attack." Another, taller, robot appeared, gun loaded and ready. (1800/800) "Now, I'll discard my Machina Fortress and my Machina Defender to bring the Machina Fortress into play, in Attack too." The giant robot appeared, guns levelled at the duel proctor. (2500/1600) "One more card to go, I think-I play Machina Blast. This card costs 500 Life Points, but it lets me destroy one card on the field for each Machina monster in play. There's three Machinas, and you have three cards, so that's all three gone."

Prof. Benson: 4000

Shaun: 3500

Prof. Benson could only look in shock as all of his cards were wiped from the field. I smiled as I said "Machinas, attack!" The three Machinas struck in unison.

Prof. Benson: 0

Shaun: 3500

Shaun wins!

Prof. Benson smiled. "A great match, Shaun-I'm very impressed in your Machina monsters. Welcome to Duel Academy, and I hope to see you in Obelisk Blue someday."

"Thank you, sir." I said, shaking his hand. "See you soon."

* * *

Chapter Two: New Times, New Challenges

"Almost there now," Shaun said, as the ship pulled into the harbour of Duel Academy. "I can't believe I managed to get into this place!"

"Join the club, mate," came a voice from behind him. Shaun turned to face the person who had spoken-it was Craig.

"Hey, Craig" Shaun said, smiling. "I guess by your jacket that you made Ra Yellow. Well done!"

"Thanks, mate," said Craig, smiling himself. "I'd have preferred Obelisk Blue, to be honest, but Ra will do for me. I guess you'd have preferred Ra to Slifer Red, anyway."

Shaun thought about that for a moment before replying, "Nah, start from the bottom and wow them all with my skills."

Craig chuckled at this. "Well, after that entrance duel, I'm ready and waiting to see these skills for myself."

Suddenly, an intercom blared into life. "We are now docking at Duel Academy. Prepare to disembark."

"Well, here we go," Shaun stated. "Ready?" Craig nodded.

On the pier, as the new duellists began to disembark the boat, two duellists prepared to duel. One was Jaden Yuki, a second-year Elemental Hero duellist. The other was Syrus Truesdale, a Vehicroid duellist, also in the second year.

"Well well, Mr. Jaden Yuki. I might have known you'd be here."

Jaden spun to see the speaker striding across the pier. "Shaun! Long time no see, bud!" Jaden yelled, smiling.

"I'm surprised you remember me, Jaden," Shaun said, smiling himself, as they shook hands. "Last time I saw you, I beat ya in the semi-finals of that Junior Duelling Championships about three years back, remember?"

"Pfft, beginner's luck, Shaun" retorted Jaden, smiling himself. "In fact, how about a rematch? Right here, right now?"

"Jaden! What about me?" Syrus interrupted.

"Ah, Syrus Truesdale, I'm guessing." Shaun added. "You must be Zane's brother. I've heard a lot about you." A thought seemed to strike him. "Tell ya what, how about a two on one duel? You two, against me?"

"Hardly fair, that." Craig appeared, almost out of nowhere. "For them. How about a two on two instead? Me and the little guy against Shaun and Jaden?"

"Little guy?" Syrus nearly shouted.

Shaun and Jaden looked at each other, then said "Deal."

Just then, another bunch of students arrived-the second-year Alexis Rhodes, the second-year Bastion Misawa, the third-year Atticus Rhodes and the second-year Chazz Princeton.

"Already duelling, Jaden?" Alexis asked. "What a surprise."

Shaun looked up, only to look shocked. "_Well well, Alexis Rhodes, what a surprise to see you here._" he thought. Out loud, he said "Actually, this duel was my idea, Lex."

"Lex?" sneered Chazz. "How does this new Slifer slacker know you, Alexis?."

"'This new guy' has a name, you know!" Shaun shouted, obviously annoyed. "And it's Shaun, just to say. Still, not important right now, to be honest." said Shaun, turning back to the starting duel. "Shall we begin?"

As the duellists prepared, Alexis thought "_How __**does**__ he know me? Unless...No, surely not..._" She smiled at the memory of the young man she'd known three years ago. "_The only one I've ever truly loved. It can't be him, though-can it?_"

* * *

DUEL!

Syrus and Craig: 8000

Jaden and Shaun: 8000

"Why not let the new boys start?" said Jaden. "Starting with you, Craig."

"Thank you, Jaden," Craig said, as he drew. "I'll set two cards face-down, then activate Dian Keto the Cure Master, to give us 1000 Life Points.

Syrus and Craig: 9000 (Dian Keto's boost)

Jaden and Shaun: 8000

"Next, I'll summon a monster in face-down Defense Position, and end things for now."

"My go, then." said Shaun, drawing. "I'll start with Frontline Base, letting me summon a level 4 or below Union monster from my hand for free each turn. I'll pick a Machine-Type, I think..."

"Get some originality, kid!" Chazz shouted, interrupting the duel. "Stop stealing the V-Z idea!"

"Two things-Chazz Princeton, is it?" Shaun said. Chazz nodded. "One: Thanks for sharing what your deck is-now it'll be easier to beat."

"Yeah right, like some Slifer slacker is going to beat the Chazz!"

"You mean, again?" Jaden asked.

"Who asked you?" Chazz shouted.

"Alright, you two, not now." Shaun sighed. "OK, Two: I'm not summoning any of those. My choice is Machina Gearframe!" The monster appeared, whirring slightly as it appeared. (1800/0)

"Machinas?" Alexis asked. "What happened to the Warrior Deck, Shaun?" "_I used to love watching him use that deck,_" she thought. "_That is, if this IS who I think it is._"

"The Machinas are rather new, Lex." Shaun said, turning to her. "I only recently started using them, but they are quite powerful. I'm surprised you remember my Warrior deck, actually. I haven't used it for a few years." Smiling, he continued, "Right, where was I..."

"Losing?" Chazz shouted.

"Very funny, Chazz." Shaun sighed-again. "Right, the best thing about this monster is that it lets me move another Machina monster from my deck to my hand, except for another Gearframe." A card slid out of Shaun's Duel Disk.

"This can't be good." Syrus mutters.

"Why not? He most likely bought a high-level monster he can't summon." replied Craig.

"Actually, Craig, you may want to check that again." Shaun interrupted, with a knowing smirk. "The monster I chose was Machina Fortress, just to say."

"Oh dear." Atticus said. "I think this next move could prove to be deadly. I saw this kid's entrance duel, and I know that Fortress from there-and its ability. He managed to OTK Professor Benson."

Alexis looked shocked. "_And he didn't recognize him?_" Out loud "Wish I'd gone now-I'd liked to have seen Professor Benson beaten for once."

Shaun chuckled. "I'm glad someone saw me in action, although it would have been nice to see you there too, Lex." He smiled at her, then turned back to the duel. "Now, I discard Machina Fortress and Cyber Valley to summon my Fortress to the field, in Attack Mode!" The large robot appeared on the field, ready to attack. (2500/1600)

"Not that I'm complaining, but how did you manage that?" Jaden asked.

"Simple-if I discard monsters with a total level of 8 or more, I can summon Machina Fortress from my hand, or my Graveyard." Shaun replied with a smile. "And I still have my normal summon left, so I'll call forth Machina Sniper to the field." The smaller robot appeared, gun aimed. (1800/800)

"Not too bad, for an opening move," Bastion said. "Machina Sniper prevents them from attacking any other Machina monsters while he's in play, meaning that the Fortress and the Gearframe is safe. Not only that, but three monsters in one turn gives them a clear field advantage, even if Jaden doesn't summon a monster, which he really has to."

"Ah, Brainbox Misawa has it right as usual." Shaun quipped, before chuckling and turning back to the duel. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"_Nicknames for everyone, too?_" Alexis thought. "_If this is who I think-no, who I hope it is-he seems to have gotten a lot more confident. And how did he know Bastion? No-one's mentioned his name yet._"

"I draw!" Syrus announced. "I summon Gyroid, in Defense Mode!" What looked to be a toonified helicopter appeared on the field, with its front two wheels crossed (1000/1000)

"Smart move, Syrus." commented Craig. "To help out, I trigger my facedown, Raigeki Break. By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy Shaun's Machina Fortress." The Fortress exploded as it was destroyed.

"Hmm, I guess I'll have to use this now," Shaun mused, as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Call of the Haunted, bringing back my Fortress!" The Machina monster rumbled as it returned.

"Damn. Thought I had it then," Craig cursed.

"I set two cards facedown to end my turn." Syrus declared.

"My draw!" called Jaden. He looked at his hand. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman to my side of the field, letting me draw two more cards as he's my only card out!" Jaden drew the cards as Bubbleman appeared (800/1200) "Next, I play Polymerization, to fuse Avian and Burstinatrix, forming Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Flame Wingman appeared, looking ready to attack (2100/1200). "Now I activate H-Heated Heart!" A card with the letter "H" wreathed in flames appeared. "Now, all of my Elemental Heroes gain 500 ATK, as well as piercing battle damage! (Bubbleman: (800-1300/1200) Flame Wingman: (2100-2600/1200)) But don't worry, Sy-you're safe for now. My target is Craig's face-down!" Flame Wingman blasted the monster card, revealing it to be Shien's Footsoldier (700/300) before it was destroyed. "Let's not forget Flame Wingman's ability, either-now the ATK of that monster comes out of your life points as well!"

Syrus and Craig: 6000 (Attack from Flame Wingman-2300 from the battle and 700 from the effect)

Jaden and Shaun: 8000

"Three thousand in one attack-rather impressive, Jaden." Craig chuckled. "But now my deck REALLY opens up! When Shien's Footsoldier is destroyed, I can summon a level 3 or below Six Samurai from my deck-and I pick The Six Samurai-Kamon!" The samurai appeared, grinning evilly (1500/1000)

"Ah, the Six Samurai." Shaun seemed pleased to see them. "A challenging type of monster to face, but they have their weaknesses-as do we all."

"No matter, now Bubbleman attacks Gyroid!" Jaden shouted. "And yes, I know Gyroid survives the first battle each turn-this is about scoring more damage!"

"Eep!" Syrus cried as the flames lightly scorched him.

Syrus and Craig: 5700 (Attack from Bubbleman)

Jaden and Shaun: 8000

"I set one card face-down and call it a turn." Jaden finished. (Bubbleman: (1300-800/1200) Flame Wingman: (2600-2100/1200))

"Good-my draw!" Craig announced. "I'll start with Hammer Shot, destroying that Fortress-again." The Fortress exploded-again-taking Call of the Haunted with it. "I then summon the Six Samurai-Irou in Attack Mode!" The Dark Samurai appeared, looking stoic. (1700/1200) "Now, since I have two Six Samurai on the field, I can Special Summon the Great Shogun Shien!" The leader of the Samurai appeared in a ball of fire. (2500/2400). "While Shien's in play, you may each activate just one Spell or Trap card a turn!" Craig continued.  
"_Damn, I needed two for next turn._" Shaun thought. "_Ah well, I might get lucky on the draw._"

"Next, I attack with Shien!" Craig announced. "Tear apart Jaden's Flame Wingman!"

"Nice try, Craig, but I'll do that myself, as I activate De-Fusion, splitting Flame Wingman into Avian and Burstinatrix!" Jaden shouted, as Flame Wingman reformed into Avian (1000/1000) and Burstinatrix (1200/800), both in Defense. Shaun just laughed at that statement, while Alexis chuckled lightly.

"Very good, Jaden!" Shaun said, still laughing. "It looks like I'm gonna have my work cut out being the joker of the class."

"_OK, great Duelling skills, jokes aplenty-albeit not brilliant-and that smile._" Alexis thought, smiling herself. "_I think it might actually be him!_"

"OK..." Craig appeared confused. "Joking aside, Shien will instead tear down Shaun's Sniper!" Shien slashed apart the Sniper, rather viciously.

Syrus and Craig: 5700

Jaden and Shaun: 7300 (Attack from Shien)

"Now, Irou will attack Avian!" Craig called. This time, as Avian was destroyed, the Life Point metres didn't change. "And Kamon will destroy Burstinatrix!" The two Fire monsters fought well, but in the end, Burstinatrix fell. "I'll end with Shien's Castle of Mist, weakening any monster who battles a Six Samurai by 500 ATK."

"Me again? That was quick." Shaun said, drawing. Alexis chuckled, which made Shaun smile. He seemed happier once he saw his drawn card. "Right, now for a blast from the past for Syrus. I summon Proto-Cyber Dragon!" The mini Cyber Dragon appeared, raring for a fight (1100/600). "Next, I activate Lightning Vortex! This card allows me to discard one card from my hand to destroy all of the face-up monsters on either Craig or Syrus' section of the field! And I pick Craig!"

"No! My Samurais!" Craig shouted, as they were all struck by the lightning and destroyed.

"Next, it's time for a Fusion, so I Tribute Proto-Cyber Dragon, Machina Gearframe, and Gyroid, to summon Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!" The massive metal dragon appeared, absorbing the aforementioned monsters, then growling at Craig and Syrus. (0/0)

"Hey!" Syrus shouted. "Gyroid was my monster-how did you get to use him?"

"Zero?" Chazz scoffed, "THAT'S your big Fusion monster?"

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Bastion said uneasily.

"I haven't." Alexis said, smiling. Atticus noticed this, and smiled too. He had an inkling why she was smiling-and it wasn't because of the duel.

"_Wait...Shaun...Chandler!_" Atticus realised. "_Of course! That kid! I wonder if he's become any more mature than he already was._"

"As Syrus has pointed out, I used one of his Machines for my monster's Fusion Summon-as indeed I am allowed to do with this monster," Shaun replied. "Also, as Chazz has correctly-if a little prematurely-pointed out, that Fortress Dragon has indeed got zero ATK. However," Shaun continued, with a smile on his face, "he gains 1000 ATK for each monster used in his fusion-and I count three!" (CFD: 0-3000/0) "And I'm not done yet! Next, I activate Limiter Removal, doubling that to 6000!"

"I think we may have lost, little buddy." Craig stated.

"_Wow._" Alexis thought. "_If it is him, he hasn't lost his duelling skill at all. Taking out all of Craig's monsters before then clearing Syrus' field-I'm impressed. I'm not looking forward to having to duel him._"

"Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, ATTACK!" shouted Shaun. The blast washed over the two opposing duellists, knocking them back a fair way.

Syrus and Craig: 0 (Attack from Chimeratech Fortress Dragon)

Jaden and Shaun: 7300

Jaden and Shaun win!

* * *

"And that's game!" Shaun said, as he jumped for joy, before flashing a Peace symbol. When he saw his two opponents on the ground, he walked over to them and helped them up. "You guys OK?"

"Better than OK, mate," Craig said, smiling, as he was pulled back to his feet. "That was a great duel, if a bit short."

"Look out, Jaden-you have competition now!" Syrus said excitedly.

"Now, let's not get carried away here, people..." Shaun tried to calm Syrus down, until an intercom blared out: "_Would Shaun Chandler please report to the Chancellor's office?_"

"Looks like that's my call, people." Shaun smiled. "Better dash-don't want to keep him waiting! Catch ya later!" And with a wink, he ran towards the main building.

Alexis, who had joined the group of duellists, together with the other spectators, looked a lot more cheerful. "Did that intercom just say Shaun Chandler?"

"It sounded like it, why?" Jaden asked.

"Oh...no reason, really." Alexis replied. She turned away, so no-one would see her blush slightly. "_It IS him!_" she thought happily. "_I wonder how well he remembers me..._" Her blush deepened slightly.

Craig spotted her blushing, however. "Alexis, how do you know him?" he said.

"What makes you think I know him?" Alexis snapped, turning back towards them.

Craig stepped back, but kept his cool. "The Blush test," he said, smiling slightly. She just sighed.

"It's not important, OK? Now let's just get to our dorms before we're late for our welcoming meals," she said, walking off with Atticus.

Craig smiled. "_Shaun, you may be fighting off the ladies soon_" he thought, before chuckling, then starting to chat with Bastion, as they headed to their dorm. The Slifers headed to their dorm as well, chattering nineteen to the dozen.

* * *

New Cards from these Chapters:

Machina Blast

Continuous Spell

Card Text: Pay 500 Life Points. Destroy 1 card on the opponent's side of the field for each "Machina" monster you control.

* * *

New OC's from these Chapters:

Shaun Chandler

Uses a Machina deck, based on swift summoning and quick finishers

Personality: A young duellist, with a seemingly cocky and arrogant demeanour when duelling, but friendly, caring and compassionate outside of duelling. Currently in Slifer Red.

Kindred Spirit: Machina Peacekeeper

Craig Devlin

Uses a Six Samurai deck, swarming the field and maintaining field presence.

Personality: Friendly person. A bit brash, but will always do the right thing by him and his friends. Currently in Ra Yellow.

Kindred Spirit: Great Shogun Shien

* * *

The next chapter is called "Chancellor's Request"


	3. Chancellor's Request

Hey, me again. Another new chapter for ya-this one with the first romance of the school year! Whoever could it be...?

Oh, a clarification for you. Craig Devlin, introduced in Chapters 1 and 2, is the son of Duke Devlin, from the original Yu-Gi-Oh series. Advanced warning, too-there will be more relatives of original series characters appearing later on...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough.

* * *

Chapter Three: Chancellor's Request

"_Well, I wasn't expecting Alexis to be in Duel Academy_" Shaun mused, as he ran towards the main building. "_Then again, she was always an accomplished duellist. This year just got a whole lot more interesting. And the fact that she liked me back then...But that's probably in the past. I did like her-and I still do-but does she still like me?_" He slowed as he entered the main building. "_Back on topic, I wonder what Sheppard wants. He probably just wants to welcome me to the school. I guess he doesn't get people he personally knows arriving to learn here every day. Maybe every other day, perhaps._" He chuckled at his joke, as he arrived at the Chancellor's office, and knocked at the door. "Come in!" came the voice. "_That doesn't sound like Sheppard_", Shaun thought, as the door opened.

He was right. Instead of Sheppard, another teacher was sitting behind the desk-one that Shaun recognized. "You're Dr Vellian Crowler, aren't you, sir?" Shaun said, as he entered the room.

"You must be one of the first students to actually call me that first time," Dr Crowler said, as he smiled. "Most of the students called me Mr Crowler, or worse, Mrs Crowler! But no matter. You must be Shaun."

"That's right, good to meet you, Doctor." Shaun said, smiling, as they shook hands. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well, I see you like to cut to the chase, Shaun." Crowler said.

"It's how I live, sir." Shaun shrugged as he said that.

"Well, how would you like a chance to be promoted to Obelisk Blue? Straight away?" Crowler asked.

"That would be good, sir," Shaun answered, "but I would think there's a catch to that, to be honest."

"No catch-I was thinking an Exhibition Duel-against someone I believe you've already met. Ah, this will be her now," Crowler said, as the door alarm buzzed. "Come on in, Alexis."

"_Alexis?_" Shaun thought, as the doors opened, and she stepped in. "_This day couldn't get more interesting._" Out loud, he said "Hello, Lex. Long time no see," smiling as he did.

"Hey, Shaun." Alexis said, smiling as well.

"My idea," Crowler said, "was this. You two duel tomorrow, and if Shaun wins, he moves up to Obelisk Blue, no questions asked. If Alexis wins, however, Shaun, you stay in Slifer Red. If you draw-which I think is unlikely-you'll still move up to Ra Yellow anyway. Deal?"

"Sounds fair to me, sir." Shaun said, still smiling. "You game, Lex?"

"Yeah, could be fun," Alexis said, smiling too.

"Great-the duel will take place as part of the main welcoming event tomorrow." Crowler stood. "Now, I know you two will want to catch up, so I won't keep you any longer. Off you go."

"Dr Crowler?" Shaun said. "Before we go, where is Chancellor Sheppard this term?"

"Ah, I wondered how long that question would be in coming." Crowler said. "He is currently on leave from his position, to get some stuff organised. He will be back soon, don't worry about that. Until then, though, I've been promoted to Acting Chancellor."

"OK, thank you, Doctor." Shaun said, as he left with Alexis. "See you soon."

* * *

Shaun and Alexis walked along the hallway, in near silence. Shaun was the first to break it.

"So, how're you, Lexi?" he asked, as they were near the front doors.

"'Lexi'? That's new, but I like it." Alexis' smile grew slightly. "I'm great now you've finally enrolled here."

"Aww, thanks Lexi." Shaun said, as he blushed slightly. "_Looks like she still likes me. I wonder how much._" Out loud: "It took me long enough to find this place as it was, to be honest. Who'd have thought there'd be that many different Academies for Duel Monsters?"

"I know, right?" Alexis agreed. "I must have seen at least ten while I was deciding where to go myself." Both of them chuckled. "By the way, Shaun, what happened to going pro? I thought that was your immediate plan."

"It was, Lexi, to be honest-until you left Cardiff." Shaun admitted, stopping and looking down. "Then, I just wanted to give up duelling-until I heard of Duel Academy."

"Really?" Alexis asked, shocked.

"Yeah." he said. "To be honest, you were the reason I duelled-to impress you, more like."

"Wow." Alexis said. "I had no idea." Moving forward, she put an arm around Shaun's shoulders. "You should have gone for it, though, Shaun-you would have been amazing."

Shaun looked up, smiling slightly. "So you'd have preferred me to join the pros, instead of coming to find you? Some love you had there." Before Alexis could reply, Shaun continued, "Anyway, I think what I wanted to say was...Lexi, will you go out with me? Again?"

Alexis was speechless for a moment, then smiled. "Only a day here and already your Mr Charmer impression's out."

"Oh shush you." Shaun said, chuckling. "So, yes or no?"

"Do you really need to ask, Shaun?" she replied, before kissing him on the cheek. Shaun smiled.

"_I'd say as much as before, after that._" Shaun thought. Out loud, he said "Don't think this means I'm going easy on ya tomorrow, by the way, Lexi."

Alexis laughed. "Good, because I'm not letting you into Obelisk Blue anyway-without a fight." she said, grinning.

"'Without a fight'?" Shaun said, chuckling. "I'm tempted to duel you here and now-what a shame we have to wait till tomorrow."

Alexis just smiled, before saying "OK, we should head back to our dorms now."

"I suppose so," Shaun said, looking sad, before smiling. "See ya tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," Alexis replied, with a sad smile. "Till then, Shaun." She then turned and started walking towards the Obelisk dorms, with Shaun watching her leave.

"_Well, that went better than expected._" Shaun mused, turning and walking away slowly. "_I hope this time the relationship doesn't end like it did last time._" A tear appeared in his eye at the memory.

"Well well, looks like I was right." That voice came from behind Shaun, making him jump. He spun around to notice Craig standing behind him, smirking.

"Craig!" Shaun protested. "You frightened the bloody life out of me!" Then he suddenly remembered why he himself was there. "How long have you been there?" Shaun demanded.

"Long enough to see our school's newest couple form," Craig answered, still smirking. "How do you two know each other, anyway?"

Shaun paused, before answering "It's a long story, Craig, and to be honest, after the boat ride, followed by the duel, I'm exhausted. I'll tell ya some other time, maybe-but right now I need sleep."

Craig chuckled. "Keeping secrets, are we? Fine by me-see ya later, Shaun."

"Later, Craig." Shaun said, as he walked off. "_I can tell that Craig will be a good friend._" Shaun thought. "_And I can also tell that good friends are what I'll need this year._"

"_Correct, Shaun._" The voice came from his shoulder, on which was revealed a smaller, spirit form of Machina Peacekeeper.

"Hey, bud." Shaun said, tapping the spirit on the head.

"_Hey, Shaun._" the Peacekeeper said. "_Looks like you move fast these days when it comes to ladies._" The Peacekeeper seemed to be teasing Shaun.

"Aww, shush you." Shaun said playfully, before adopting a serious tone. "Besides, I've known Lexi for years. For most of that time, though, I haven't seen her. But I knew she liked me quite early on, when she seemed to go out of her way just to talk to me. Pretty soon, I started to like her myself, and we got together. That lasted a few months-and that was the best time of my life. Then..."

"_Then?_" Peacekeeper prompted.

"Then she had to move away." Shaun seemed quite upset now. "The only girl I ever truly loved, and the closest friend I ever had, gone." Shaun paused, long enough to see the shadow of someone-or something-behind him. "OK, who is that behind me?" He turned-to see another monster spirit. "Cyber Blader?"

"_Hello, Shaun._" The Blader said. "_It's good to finally meet you again._"

"And you, Blader." Shaun said, smiling. "I would stop and chat, but I've got a Duel to prepare for."

"_I know, Shaun. That's why you'll need these._" Two cards fell by Shaun's feet. "_Alexis wanted to give these to you herself, but she won't have a chance before the duel, so I thought I'd bring them for her._"

"Has she still not seen you yet?" Shaun said. He bent to pick up the cards as Cyber Blader shook her head. Shaun smiled at the first card, saying "Well well, didn't think I'd get this card for a while. Looks like the duel tomorrow just got easier." He then picked up the second card, his eyes widening as he recognized it. "Are you sure this was the right card, Blader?"

"_Positive, Shaun._" The Cyber Blader smiled, then turned away. "_Apparently, you are the best person for this card-even if you don't know it yet._" With that, the Blader vanished.

"Hmmm." Shaun thought.

"_What cards are they, Shaun?_" the Peacekeeper asked. Shaun showed the Peacekeeper, who then looked shocked. "_That first one is useful for your deck, but why would she give you that second one?_"

"I have no idea, Peacekeeper." Shaun answered. "Let's just hope the first one works in the duel tomorrow. I can work out the second one's reason another time." The spirit nodded and vanished, as Shaun neared the Slifer dorm.

* * *

The next chapter is a DOUBLE chapter: "A Spirited Surprise" and "Promotivity Competivity".


	4. A Spirited Surprise and Promotivity

Shaun1e here, with your next chapter! This is actually a double chapter, including the first one on one duel of the school year! Let's see how it unfolds...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough.

* * *

Chapter Four: A Spirited Surprise

As Shaun arrived at the Slifer Red dorm, he saw a duel just finishing. It seemed that Syrus and Jaden had just tied a game. Jaden had Syrus on the ropes with an Elemental Hero combo, involving HERO Flash, but Syrus had used Recoil to reduce Jaden's Life Points to 0 at the same time. "_Impressive play, that._" Shaun thought, approaching the duellists as they deactivated their Duel Disks.

"Good game, Sy," said Jaden. "I wasn't expecting that play."

"Neither was I, actually." Shaun said, surprising them both. "Looks like Slifer Red might be a stronger group than even Dr Crowler expects-and he's in charge around here for the moment, since Sheppard's on leave."

"Speaking of, what did Crowler want, Shaun?" Jaden asked.

Shaun hesitated before replying. "A chance to move up to Obelisk Blue, in a duel tomorrow."

"That sounds great, Shaun!" Syrus said excitedly. "Who're you duelling, by the way?"

"Someone who I've known for a long time." Shaun said, smiling. "And that's all you're getting from me." Still smiling, he headed towards the dorm. "Now, which room's mine?"

"I think you're next door to us, actually, for now, Shaun." Jaden said. "By the way, how's about that rematch you owe me?"

Shaun yawned. "To be honest, Jaden, I feel too sleepy to duel-after all, would you want me to fall asleep partway through-tonight or tomorrow?"

"I guess not." Jaden replied.

"OK, I'm going to turn in. Night guys." Shaun said.

"Night Shaun." the two replied.

* * *

The next day, Shaun awoke bright and early-or so he thought-to a light knocking on his room's door. "Alright, I'm coming," he grumbled. "I could do with an alarm clock in here, I think." Opening the door, he instantly smiled, his grumbling forgotten. "Lexi!"

"Hey Shaun," Alexis smiled. "Mind if I come in for a bit?"

"'Course not, Lexi." Shaun stepped aside to let her in, then shut the door. He then stepped over to her and gave her a hug, which she returned. "To what do I owe this unexpected, but brilliant, honour, Lexi?"

"Can I not come and see my boyfriend without a specific reason, then, Shaun?" Alexis smiled as she spoke.

"Of course you can, Lex," Shaun chuckled, before kissing her on the cheek. "I was just wondering if there was another reason for you coming this early."

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you, Shaun." Alexis asked.

"_Uh-oh, this can't be good._" Shaun thought. Out loud, he said "And what's that then, Lexi?"

She seemed hesitant to ask. "You know your...talents, Shaun?"

"_Ah. Forgot she knew about those._" "Which talents do you mean, Lexi?"

Alexis sighed. "I mean...your powers."

"Ah. Those talents. What about them, Lex?"

Now she seemed even more hesitant. "Well...would you be able to let me see Duel Spirits?"

That caught him off guard. "Why do you want to, Lexi? It's not as if it's essential to your life to see them, after all."

"I know that, Shaun." Alexis seemed sad now. "I just wanted to be able to see them-to see other people's Spirits-and not feel left out that others can see them...and I can't."

Shaun swept Alexis into his arms at that point, and settled down on a chair, Alexis on his lap. "Well, if that's what you want, then I'll be happy to try-but why do you want to be like the others, Lexi? You're special just the way you are-and don't forget that."

"Awww, thanks Shaun." Alexis smiled as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. Suddenly, Shaun turned his head and the kiss landed on his lips. Surprised, the door then opened, causing them both to leap apart.

"Hello Alexis," Jaden said. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Lex just wanted to wish me good luck for the duel." Shaun said, smiling. "See ya later, Lexi."

"Bye, Shaun." Alexis said, heading towards the door. As she passed Shaun, she whispered in his ear "Don't forget what you promised." Then she was gone.

"Why would Alexis come down to wish you good luck, Shaun?" Jaden asked. "And since when did she let anyone call her "Lexi"?"

"You mean she doesn't usually?" Shaun said, acting confused. "That's odd, because I knew her well a few years back, and she used to love that name. And she came to wish me luck because I knew her back then."

"Ah, I see." Jaden said. "Well, better hurry to the duel arena before you end up late. And I doubt "Lexi" will be too happy if you miss the duel." He smiled after saying that.

Shaun glanced at the time, seeing it as 9:45. "Oh heck, I'm meant to be there for ten! I'm gonna be late if I don't leave now! See ya later, Jaden!" he said, as he left at a run. "_Lucky I was well-prepared to leave._" Shaun thought. "_OK then, Lexi, let's see how far you've come since we last battled._"

* * *

Chapter Five: Promotivity Competivity

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the first duel of the school year!" Dr Crowler spoke into a microphone, so that the whole duel arena could hear him. "Duelling today is a first-year Slifer Red prodigy, who will become an Obelisk Blue prodigy if he wins this match! So give it up for Shaun Chandler!"

The crowd cheered loudly as Shaun walked into the arena. He smiled and waved to the crowd, before holding up his own microphone. "And duelling me today, to try and keep me in Slifer Red-heavens knows why-is a second-year Obelisk girl who I knew VERY well many years back..." The crowd started muttering amongst themselves once they heard this. Shaun smiled, and continued, "So give a Duel Academy welcome to Alexis Rhodes!"

"So that's who he meant..." Jaden said, as Alexis walked into the arena to a large cheer, smiling at Shaun as she entered.

"It gets better, too." Jaden turned to see Craig, Bastion, Atticus and Chazz turn up. It was Craig who had spoken.

"'Better'?" Chazz asked Craig. "How can it get better, another slacker's gonna lose to Alexis!"

"I doubt that very much, for two reasons." Craig replied, wiping the smile off Chazz's face. "One, Shaun's won the World Junior Duelling Championships twice in a row, without that deck, which is incredibly powerful by itself, as you saw yesterday."

"Twice in a row?" Chazz looked at Shaun with new-found respect. "Hmmm."

"And number two?" Syrus asked.

"Wait and see, Syrus." Craig said mysteriously. "Wait and see."

"You think they've figured it out, Shaun?" Alexis whispered to him, as they shuffled each other's decks.

Shaun had put the microphone down after he'd announced Alexis, so he could whisper without the whole arena hearing. "Craig knows for definite-he spotted us yesterday. As for the others, it depends on two things-how trustworthy Craig is, and how good the rest of them are at working it out." He smiled then, before continuing. "How's about making it more obvious during the duel, Lexi?"

"Good idea, Shaun." Alexis whispered back, smiling. In a louder voice, she said "Good luck, Shaun."

"You too, Lex." he replied, before returning to the duelling position and retrieving the microphone. "Attention Duellists!" Shaun said, speaking to the whole arena. "These are the conditions of this duel, and of all Duel Academy official duels, so please listen carefully, because I don't want to repeat myself later on!" He seemed to captivate the crowd-especially the female contingent, which didn't please Alexis. "The bulk of the rules are the same as the Battle City system-namely, the starting Life Points of 4000, the tribute rule of one monster for a 5 or 6 star monster, and two for any higher level, and one attack per monster per turn during the Battle Phase. One difference with the Battle City rules is that Fusion Monsters are permitted to attack in the turn they are fused. Do we understand?" A cry of "YES!" came from the crowd. Shaun chuckled, then spoke on. "And with that, the Duel Academy term shall start with this, its first duel! Have fun watching!"

"Talk about over-hyping, Shaun." Alexis sighed. "Then again, it is just like you."

"Shush you," Shaun said playfully. "Let's just duel, Lexi."

"'Lexi'?" Chazz sneered, in the crowd. "That kid's got some nerve." Craig just chuckled.

"Fine, if that's what you want." Alexis drew her starting hand, as did Shaun. "You're not gonna win, though."

"Pfft. Watch and learn, Lexi." Shaun said, grinning.

DUEL!

Alexis: 4000

Shaun: 4000

"Since I'm so generous, Lexi, I'll let you start." Shaun said.

"How kind, Shaun." Alexis said, drawing. "I'll summon a monster in face-down Defense Position and place two facedown cards. That'll do it for me."

"You sure, Lex?" Shaun asked. "Fine, I draw." He studied his cards. "Hmm, this could be fun. I'll start with an entirely new Field Spell-Machina Factory!" Alexis looked stunned as the Factory rose. Shaun continued "As long as this factory is in play, not only do all of my Machina monsters require one less Tribute, but they gain 300 ATK, and their effects cannot be negated."

"How did you get that?" Alexis asked, surprised. "I thought the only copy in Duel Academy was the one I had."

"Ask Cyber Blader, Lexi." Shaun quipped with a smile. "Anyway, I can now summon Machina Knight for free, without a Tribute!" The robotic warrior appeared, flashing a grin at Alexis (2200-2500/1700-2000)

"That's a powerful monster." Jaden said.

"Plus, since it's a Machina monster, it has to have some kind of effect." added Bastion. "They all do, after all."

"Check out the brain on Misawa!" Shaun said, grinning. "Now my Knight lets me summon a 4 star or less Machina monster with 1500 or less original ATK from my hand or deck. And I pick Machina Tuner!" The monster appeared, as Alexis seemed to grumble. (800/600)

"Tuner?" Alexis asked, ceasing her grumble.

"Oh yes, Lexi, how stupid of me. I should have mentioned these before." Shaun said. "Tuners are semi-powerful monsters, used for Synchro Summons. These require one Tuner and one or more non-Tuner monsters. The only catch is that the total level of the monsters must exactly equal the level of the Synchro Monster being summoned."

"That can't be easy to do, Shaun." Alexis said, smiling slightly. "I'd be impressed if you can manage it."

"Aren't you impressed with him already, Alexis?" shouted Craig, smirking.

"Shut it, Craig!" they shouted together. That caused some muttering amongst the crowd.

"Think they may have finally gotten it, Lexi?" Shaun asked, with a small smile. "No matter-yet-I have what I need to summon my Tuner monster. I tribute the 5 Star Machina Knight and the 3 Star Machina Tuner to summon the 8 Star Machina Commander!" The machines combined to form a larger version of the Machina Fortress, with guns aimed at Alexis' face-down monster (3200-3500/2100-2400)

"OK, I'll admit it, I'm impressed, Shaun." Alexis said with a smile. "You've become quite a duellist since we last met. But my face-down activates now, Rust Bucket!" A pile of broken Machine-Type monsters, including Machina Force and Machine King, adorned the card.

"Hang on, that's a Continuous Spell!" Shaun protested. "You can't activate that on my turn!"

"I can-and will-if you Special Summon more than one Machine-Type monster during your turn." Alexis said, rather smugly. "This card reduces your Machine-Type monsters' original ATK by half, stops them from attacking, and negates their effects!" (Machina Commander: (3500-1600-1900/2400-1050-1350))

"Impressive comeback-sadly for you, the effects still stand, due to Machina Factory!" Shaun retorted. "And my Commander's effect is a powerful one. He requires me to remove a Machina monster in my Deck from play, but he deals half that monster's ATK score as damage to you! And I pick my Machina Force!" Most of the crowd gasped as the shot from Machina Commander blasted into Alexis, knocking her backwards.

Alexis: 1700 (Commander's effect)

Shaun: 4000

"That's more than half of Alexis' Life Points!" Chazz said, stunned. "This kid might actually be a good duellist after all."

"Maybe, Chazz-although I wonder what Alexis' other facedown was." answered Craig. "I'll bet you it's Barrel Behind the Door."

"If that's right, then wouldn't I have used it, Craig?" Alexis shouted.

"I don't know, Alexis," Craig answered, smirking again. "Would you want to harm Shaun's chances?"

Alexis turned slightly red at this. "Mind your own business, Craig." Shaun snapped. More muttering in the crowd. "Right, where was I...Oh yes. When my Commander uses his effect, he can't attack this turn, but that's a bit of a moot point, with Rust Bucket in play. I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"At last. I draw," Alexis said, drawing. "I Flip Summon my Cyber Gymnast!" The elegant male dancer appeared from the face-down monster card. (800/1800) Next, I summon Etoile Cyber, in Attack Mode!" This time, a female dancer appeared. (1200/1600) "Now for the fun part-thanks to my Cyber Gymnast, when I discard a card from my hand, one of your monsters is destroyed! Guess who I'm picking?"

"Ummm-Machina Commander, maybe?" Shaun replied. "Seeing as he's the only one I've got in play, I guess."

"Check out the brains on the Machina Kid!" Alexis joked, as the Commander was destroyed.

"Hmmm, Machina Kid, I like that." Shaun said, smiling. "I might use that when I go pro."

"Only if you pay me for coming up with it," Alexis said, chuckling. "Now, Cyber Gymnast, direct attack!" The Gymnast danced towards Shaun, before kicking him in the face.

"Oof! That's one hard kick!" said Shaun, as his Life Points went down.

Alexis: 1700

Shaun: 3200 (Gymnast's attack)

"Now, Shaun, for another dose of foot!" chuckled Alexis. "Etoile Cyber, attack! And when she attacks directly, she gains 600 ATK!" (Etoile Cyber: (1200-1800/1600))

"Well, here I come, Obelisk Blue!" cried Shaun. "I activate Magic Cylinder!" The card showed two cylinders-one accepting the blast, another firing it back. "This takes all the battle damage I would have taken, and sends it back to you as effect damage!" The blast from Etoile Cyber launched back at Alexis.

"Since it's now effect damage, I can trigger Barrel Behind the Door, bouncing it back to you!" Alexis retorted, smirking.

"Nice try, Lexi," Shaun said, with a smile. "But it looks like you'll be seeing a lot more of me now-and I'm sure that's a good thing, isn't it?" Alexis, smiling, blushed at that, but said nothing. Shaun continued "I activate Trap Jammer!" The card showed a bear trap being caught in a seal of some sort. "Since we're in the Battle Phase, this card negates any trap used, and I choose Barrel Behind the Door!"

"No!" Alexis shouted, losing the smile, as her trap was destroyed, and the blast from Magic Cylinder hit, knocking her backwards.

Alexis: 0 (Magic Cylinder's effect)

Shaun: 3200

Shaun wins!

"And that's game!" Shaun said, flashing a peace symbol. He then ran over to Alexis. "You OK, Lexi?" he asked, a touch of concern in his voice, as he helped her up to her feet.

"Yeah...I'm fine." said Alexis, smiling. "That was a great duel, Shaun." Once she had said that, she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for the duel."

"No, thank you Lexi," Shaun said, smiling himself, and kissing her back. "Now I'm in Obelisk Blue!" He then looked around. "Why's it suddenly gone quiet?" he addressed the crowd.

"Uhh...technical problems with the mic," announced Crowler hurriedly. The crowd laughed as Crowler continued, obviously flustered. "Congratulations, Shaun! You are now promoted to Obelisk Blue!"

Shaun chuckled as he picked up his own microphone, Alexis' hand in his other hand. "Thank you, Acting Chancellor Crowler!" He then turned to the rest of the crowd. "If anyone else would like to challenge me-or both of us, in a Tag Duel," smiling at Alexis as he said that, "then feel free to ask! And one last thing, everyone." His tone grew more serious. "For those of you arriving, this is the toughest duelling school in the world, but also the one best prepared to set up your duelling career. Work hard, duel well, and one day you'll be where you want to be. Just don't flunk, as even the best duellist in the world could fail here. Just make sure you're not a failure, and your time here will be enjoyable." He cheered up again. "But enough of the serious stuff! Enjoy the year, all of you!" he shouted, as he switched off the microphone.

* * *

"He acts as though he's been here before." commented Jaden.

"He probably has, and failed." Chazz added.

"I doubt that, actually." They turned to spot Shaun behind them, Alexis next to him, both holding hands.

"You must have sprinted to get here so fast." Bastion said. "And I guess this is what Craig was referring to."

"Yes, and I must remember to be annoyed at him for that." Shaun said, jokingly. "Don't forget to remind me, Lexi."

"Don't worry, Shaun." Alexis said, catching on to the joke and smiling. "I won't."

"Good girl," Shaun said, chuckling as he pecked her on the cheek. "Well, come on Lexi, time for a walk, methinks." They left, still holding hands, and talking quietly.

"I think they make a rather nice couple," Atticus said quietly. In his mind: "_Just like before. Maybe they're just meant to be._"

"I'll give it a week." Chazz said, less quietly.

"Chazz!" Shaun's voice, shouting back.

Chazz wandered off, grumbling.

"_I wonder how he heard Chazz._" Atticus mused. "_I barely heard him, and I'm here, practically next to him._"

* * *

New Cards in these Chapters:

Recoil  
Counter Trap  
Card Text: Activate only when your Life Points are dropped to 0. Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the Life Points you lost this turn.

Machina Factory  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: While this card is face-up on the field, all "Machina" monsters gain 300 ATK, and require one Tribute less to Tribute Summon. In addition, the effects of any "Machina" monsters on the field or in either player's Graveyard cannot be negated.

Machina Knight  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2200/1700  
EARTH-Attribute, Machine-Type, Level 5  
Card Text: When this monster is Normal or Special Summoned, this card's owner can Special Summon a "Machina" monster of Level 4 or below, with 1500 ATK or below, from their hand or Deck, in face-up Attack Position. This card is destroyed during the End Phase if "Machina Factory" is not face-up on the field.

Machina Tuner  
Tuner Monster  
ATK/DEF: 800/600  
EARTH-Attribute, Machine-Type, Level 3  
Card Text: This monster cannot be used for a Synchro Summon unless the Synchro Monster being Synchro Summoned specifies this monster as a Tuner monster.

Machina Commander  
Synchro Monster  
ATK/DEF: 3200/2100  
EARTH-Attribute, Machine-Type, Level 8  
Card Text: 'Machina Tuner' + 1 or more non-Tuner 'Machina' monsters.  
Once per turn while this card is face-up on the field, you can remove 1 "Machina" monster in your Deck from play to inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the ATK of the removed monster, but this monster cannot declare an attack this turn if you do.

Rust Bucket  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: This card can be activated during your opponent's turn, if your opponent Special Summons 2 or more Machine-Type monsters during that turn. All of your opponent's Machine-Type monsters are unable to attack while this card is face-up on the field, and lose half their ATK. In addition, any monster affected by this card has their effects negated.

* * *

For those of you wondering, Shaun's "powers" will be explained fully in a later chapter. Not the next one, though. Soon, I promise.

Next Chapter will be called "The Shadowed Road"


	5. The Shadowed Road

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Six! This introduces one of the two evil forces appearing in this story-although they appear friendly, it's just a ruse...or is it?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough.

* * *

Chapter Six: The Shadowed Road

Shaun and Alexis walked through the woods, talking quietly to each other, barely loud enough for other people to hear. Tracking them was something lurking in the shadows. "Let's see how you like this, kids." it muttered, before moving in front of the couple.

* * *

"So, Shaun," Alexis said, smiling. "When are you gonna make good on your promise?"

Shaun hesitated, then answered "How about right now? No-one's around."  
A laugh could be heard from the shadows of the trees. Shaun spun, shouting "Who's there? Show yourself!"

A creature jumped from the trees and landed in front of the two students. It was human-like in appearance, but looked more sinister than a human. "Only too happy to oblige, Mr Shaun Chandler," the creature spoke, with a sinister, echoing voice. "I trust you recognise me."  
"Only too well, sadly enough," Shaun snapped. "But for the benefit of Miss Rhodes here, I'll introduce you as a Shadow Lord, named Garos."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Rhodes." Garos said, smiling evilly. "Unfortunate, though, isn't it?"

"How do you mean?" Alexis asked, uneasily.

"Well, let me show you!" The Shadow Lord created a dark sphere that grew to envelop them all-then vanished, taking all three of them with it!

* * *

"Shaun! Wake up! Please!"

Groaning, Shaun opened his eyes, to see Alexis frantically trying to wake him. "Alright, Lexi, I'm awake. Now please stop shaking me-I'm a person, not a milkshake." he said, smiling. Alexis chuckled as she let him go, and he got up with a little help. That was when he noticed where he was. "Well well, how original, Garos. The Shadow Realm."

"I'm glad you think so, Shaun." The aforementioned Garos appeared, literally out of nowhere, as Shaun said his name. "Now, we duel."

"Once again, Garos, original." Shaun said, sighing. "Alright, let's get it over with..."

Garos interrupted. "Not you." he said, pointing at Alexis. "Her."

"You must be kidding, Garos." Shaun said. "A Shadow Duel with her instead of me? Not happening."

"You're on, Garos," Alexis said, suddenly, "if you agree to return us back to Duel Academy once I win."

"Alexis!" Shaun shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Relax, Shaun." Alexis said, smiling. "I've faced Shadow Duels before."

"Yes, against Shadow Riders!" Shaun cried. "This is a Shadow Lord-they're more powerful than the Riders!"

"Shaun," Alexis said, coming over to him. "I appreciate that you want to keep me safe, but I can handle this." She kissed him, then continued. "I promise you, I'll be fine."

"I want to believe that, Lexi." Shaun said, not letting go of her. "But I know what he's capable of, and I don't want you on the receiving end of it." He sighed. "But if I can't stop you, then I suppose you can duel." He kissed her back. "Just, please be careful Lexi-I didn't spend three years looking for you so that I could lose you again." His face told the whole story-he didn't want to lose Alexis again, not after when she had to leave three years ago. Alexis saw that, and realised how much she meant to him.

"Don't worry, Shaun, I'll be fine." Alexis smiled, then turned to Garos. "Just watch me win!"

"Not gonna happen, Alexis." Garos said, smirking. "Welcome to the Shadows!"

* * *

DUEL!

Alexis: 4000

Garos: 4000

"As I'm the challenger, I'll go first!" Garos shouted, drawing. "I'll start with Call of the Mummy!" The card rose from the shadows. "Now, every turn, if my field is empty of monsters, I can summon any Zombie-Type monster I choose from my hand. And I pick Vampire Lord!" The monster appeared, leering at Alexis. (2000/1500) "Next, I'll remove Vampire Lord from play to summon Vampire Genesis!" The Vampire Lord suddenly changed into a bigger, uglier form. (3000/2100) "I'll summon a face-down monster, and place two cards face-down to end my turn."

"I draw!" Alexis said, as the cards Garos had played appeared. "I'll start with Heavy Storm, to destroy your two face-down cards, and your Call of the Mummy!" Dark Coffin and Compulsory Evacuation Device were revealed, then destroyed, along with Call of the Mummy.

"Heh heh." Garos chuckled. "Since Dark Coffin was destroyed, you must now send one monster to the Graveyard, or discard one card from your hand!"

Alexis grumbled, as she discarded Cyber Gymnast. "I play Polymerization, to combine Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber, to form Cyber Blader!" The same spirit that Shaun had seen the previous evening appeared on the field, on Alexis' side of the field. (2100/800)

"_Hello, Shaun._" Cyber Blader said. "_I see you're not duelling this time. Did you win?_"

Shaun chuckled. "Actually, yes, although it was touch and go for a while, Blader."

Alexis was puzzled. "You talk, Cyber Blader?"

"Of course she does, Lexi." Shaun said. "She's your Kindred Spirit."

"Kindred Spirit?"

"The one Duel Spirit that's closest to you." Shaun explained. "For me, it's Machina Peacekeeper." The monster appeared at the mention of his name, resting on Shaun's shoulder. "_Hello, Alexis,_" the monster said. "_It's nice to meet you at last._"

"Uh, hello Peacekeeper." Alexis said.

"This was how I first started seeing Spirits, Lexi." Shaun said. "After I won my first Shadow Duel against Garos. That was a close one, to be honest." Suddenly, his head shot towards Garos. "_So that's what you're doing, Garos!_" he thought. "_But why are you helping us?_"

"And this one will be even closer, but I will win!" shouted Garos. Mentally, he thought "_Looks like Shaun's figured it out. If she loses, though, not only does that plan fail, but I'll be in huge trouble for Shaun tearing apart the Shadows to get her back!_" Out loud, "Continue your turn, Alexis!"

"Very well." Alexis said, sighing. "Since you have two monsters, my Cyber Blader has double ATK!" Cyber Blader smiled as she felt the extra power rush into her. (2100-4200/800)

"I discard Double Barrel to activate its effect!" Garos shouted. "Now, one monster on the field loses half its ATK for the turn, but it's permitted a second attack! And I select your Cyber Blader!" (4200-2100/800/2 Attacks)

"Come on Lexi..." said Shaun. "_Even though I know the result already, she still needs the encouragement._"

"I activate Big Bang Shot!" Alexis called, as the card appeared. "This gives my Cyber Blader 400 extra ATK, and it deals damage when it battles even if your monster is in defence!" (Cyber Blader: (2100-2500/800)) "Now, attack Garos' face-down monster!" Cyber Blader launched the Big Bang Shot at the monster, which was revealed to be Spirit Reaper. (300/200)

"Nice try, but Spirit Reaper cannot be destroyed in battle!" Garos gloated. "Or did you forget?"

"Actually, I was hoping for Spirit Reaper." Alexis smiled. "After all, don't forget Big Bang Shot."

Alexis: 4000

Garos: 1700 (Attack from Cyber Blader)

"Plus, with the second attack I've been given by you, I can finish you!" Alexis shouted. "Cyber Blader, attack Spirit Reaper again!"

Garos simply smiled, as the shot connected with Spirit Reaper. Suddenly, everything went white-and that was the last thing Shaun and Alexis saw for a while.

Alexis: 4000

Garos: 0 (Attack from Cyber Blader-again.)

Alexis wins by shutout!

* * *

Shaun woke up to see himself back where Garos had captured the two of them from. He sat up and noticed Alexis nearby, talking to Cyber Blader. "You can see her now, then?" Shaun asked, smiling.

Alexis and Cyber Blader turned towards him. "_He's awake, at last._" Cyber Blader said, smiling. "_Welcome back, Shaun._"

"Yep, Shaun," Alexis said, smiling too. She came over to him and hugged him. "It was all because of Garos, too. Who'd have thought a Shadow Lord would help me?"

"Who indeed, Lexi?" Shaun agreed, smiling himself. He couldn't help but smile-Alexis seemed to have one of those infectious smiles. He grabbed the hand she offered him and pulled himself back up onto his feet. "At least you don't feel left out now," he said, half-teasingly, as he moved in for a kiss. Alexis obliged, chuckling first.

"_Left out? Alexis?_" Cyber Blader chuckled herself. "_I'll believe that when I see it._"

"Were you listening earlier, Blader?" Shaun's turn to chuckle. "Actually, I shouldn't really joke-Lexi was quite upset earlier about that. Still," he smiled, as he looked towards Alexis, who smiled back. "All's well that ends well-for now."

* * *

Garos sat amongst the trees, watching as Shaun and Alexis, with their Kindred Spirits, departed for their dorm. "You're welcome for the gift, Alexis Rhodes," he muttered, "but will it be enough to save you, when the enemy arrives?" With that, he disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

New Cards in this Chapter:

Double Barrel

Normal Spell

Card Text: This card can be activated by discarding it from your hand, in addition to being played on the field. When this card is activated, select 1 monster on the field. The selected monster loses half its ATK for the rest of the turn, but can attack twice this turn.

* * *

Next Chapter is called "The Pro's Gauntlet"

I wonder what will happen...Tune in soon to find out!

I have a request! If you read this, please write a review! I'd like to know if I'm doing something wrong, or, conversely, if I'm doing a great job.

* * *

Oh, one more thing. You'll notice I've been adding a new chapter almost daily. This won't be a recurring trend, sadly, but I will try to update at least twice weekly. That isn't a promise, however, as I am in my last year of school, so I'm almost literally snowed under with work. I'd say my social life figures too, but, realistically, I don't HAVE a social life, so that's an excuse gone.

Still, if an update is "late", in your eyes at least, please have some patience-after all, I am only human! Thank you! :)


	6. The Pro's Gauntlet

Shaun1e here, with the next chapter! This is where things get interesting, as GX Season Two's main villain appears. This time, though, things are different. How different? Read on and find out...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough for now. I might take one or two later in the storyline-but not now.

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Pro's Gauntlet

_(This chapter is told from Shaun's viewpoint.)_

With a new day comes new challenges. That's my philosophy. Unfortunately, new challenges in this case mean new lessons. Still, we share some classes with the whole school, so I get to be with Lexi-but there are some I'm without her, and this one, Duel History, is one of them. Still, I've got some new friends from Obelisk and Slifer now-none from Ra yet, oddly, excepting Craig. Speaking of...

"Shaun, you've just been called over the intercom." Craig said, nudging me, waking me from my daydream-which annoyed me, as it was Lexi I was dreaming of.

"Would Shaun Chandler and Alexis Rhodes report to the Chancellor's office immediately?" blared the intercom.

I wonder what it is this time. Ah well, more time with Lex. "Professor Hibiki?" I asked.

"Yes, Shaun." replied the teacher, smiling. "You'd better run, before Dr Crowler gets mad."

"Mad? At me? Impossible." I said, winking, as I leave the room. Outside, I see Lexi waiting for me, smiling. "Ello, Lexi." I said, smiling too.

"Hey, Shaun" Lexi said, pecking me on the cheek. "You have any idea what Crowler wants?"

"None," I replied, as we began to walk to Crowler's office, together, hand in hand. "But if it gets me out of Duel History, I'm not really complaining."

Lexi chuckled at that. "I'm missing Duel Application, so I could do worse. But I've gotten some time with someone special, so I'm happy."

"Dr Crowler?" I asked, pretending to be confused, but grinning at the same time. We both laughed at that as we reached the Chancellor's office for the second time that year.

* * *

We entered to see Crowler talking to two people sitting at the desk. When Crowler saw us two enter, he smiled. "Hello, you two." The two sitting turned as well, revealing none other than pro duellist Aster Phoenix and his manager, Sartorius.

"Pleasant to meet you two." Sartorius said, smiling. "You must be Shaun and Alexis. I've heard a lot about you two from Dr Crowler here." As Sartorius and I shook hands, I suddenly sensed a strong mystic force within the Pro manager. "_What's he up to, coming here?_" I pondered.

"Pleased to meet you too, sir." I said, smiling. Addressing the duellist, "And you must be Aster Phoenix, undefeated Pro duellist."

"Correct, Shaun." Aster shook hands with me. Sartorius stepped in at this point.

"I actually came to see if you would be interested in a shot at joining the Pro Circuit. I've hear great things about your duelling, and your deck would be able to demolish almost every Pro on the circuit at the present moment."

"Only if me AND Alexis can have the same chance, sir," I said. "Otherwise, I'd have to say no deal, as I'm not leaving her behind." Lexi smiled and blushed, but said nothing.

Sartorius smiled at that. "How noble of you...I only have the resources to allow one person into the Pro Circuit at this time, though, so that plan's gone." He thought for a while, then smiled again. Turning to Dr Crowler, he said "Chancellor, would it still be possible for the Duels I had planned to go ahead?"

"Of course, Sartorius." Crowler said. "It would be an honour."

"Good." The manager turned back to us two. "Here's what I thought: Shaun duels me, and Alexis duels Aster. And to make things more interesting," he said, digging into his bag, pulling out a small box, "If you two both win, you'll get this." He opened the box, revealing a blank check, signed by him. "That check will have twenty dollars on it for every Life Point you each win by."

Needless to say, we were stunned by this. Lexi was the first to recover. "Sartorius, are you sure about this?"

"Positive, Alexis." Sartorius smiled. "I've heard great things about you two, and I'm eager to see your best so that I know how suited to the pros you will be. Now, do we have a deal?"

"Wait," I said, before anyone else could interrupt. "What if only one of us wins? Or if we both lose?"

"I can answer that, actually." Crowler said. "If one of you wins and one of you loses, that check will be written based on the points that the winning Academy duellist had, and added to the school fund. But if you both lose, no money will be paid out-and you'll both drop to Ra Yellow."

Me and Lexi looked at each other, seeing our answer in each other's eyes. We turned to the others in the room, and said "Deal."

"Very well." Sartorius said. "We shall see you tomorrow, then." He rose from his seat, as did Aster. "Come, Aster, we must prepare." They left the office together. Once they had gone, and the door was sealed, Crowler sighed and sat down.

"I sense a lack of confidence, sir." I stated, as he took the seat very recently occupied by Aster. Lexi seemed to feel the same, sitting on my lap.

"I have a right to, Shaun." Crowler said. "Sartorius is a famed Arcana Force duellist, using the double-sided effects to unnerve his opponents."

"So, luck?" I asked, smirking. "_I can have fun with this! At last, I get to use the card I bought a long time ago!_" Out loud: "I've been known to be rather lucky at times, sir-but I won't need luck for this fight."

"What about Aster, sir?" Lexi asked. I could sense the worry in her voice. I squeezed her hand encouragingly, smiling at her.

"That's the problem, Alexis." Crowler sighed. "No-one's seen his real deck yet-not even the Pros, so I can't tell you how best to beat it."

I leaned forwards. "Then what's he been using for the past year in the Pros?" I asked, confused.

Crowler picked up the deck that had been on his desk when he entered, handing it to me. "Look for yourself, Shaun."

"He left it here?" I asked, stunned. I began to look through it-and was shocked to see what I did. "This is exactly the same as my old Warrior deck!" Lexi seemed shocked as I said that, and upset, too. "_The deck she loved so much. That's just cruel, Aster._" I thought. I continued out loud, "If he started using it before I swapped to the Machinas, I won't be too happy."

"Well, that's all I can help you with, you two." Crowler seemed unhappy. "I'll see you two in the duel arena tomorrow, then...Oh, Shaun, a quick word before you go?"

"_I wonder what this is about."_ Shaun thought.

"I'll wait for you outside, Shaun." Lexi said, smiling.

"OK then, Lexi," I say, smiling back, as the door closed.

* * *

"I've heard a lot about you over the last month since you enrolled, Shaun." Crowler said. "I have to admit, most of it was good. But there's one thing I'd like to ask you about, if it's alright."

"What do you want to know, sir?" I said, starting to worry.

"Well...people are saying that Alexis may have thrown your Duel to get you into Obelisk Blue." Crowler admitted. "Not that I believe them-I just had to make sure. Did you...?"

"No, sir." I said quickly, smiling slightly. "We are very close, but I would never even dare to suggest that a duel be thrown, and neither would Lex."

Crowler sighed in relief. "Now I can dismiss the rumours," he said, smiling. He opened one of the desk drawers and handed two cards to me. "Here, these might help tomorrow."

I looked at the cards, then pocketed them. "Thanks, Doctor." I said. "I'd better go, before Lexi gets too restless."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Shaun." Crowler said, chuckling, as I left.

* * *

Me and Lexi walked to the cafeteria, as the lunch bell had gone off while we were in Crowler's office. Before we went into the cafeteria, Lexi turned to me, and I saw worry in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Lex?" I said, pulling her into a tight hug.

Lexi sighed. "I don't know if I can do this, Shaun." The hug broke as she started to tear up. "I've never duelled a Pro before, and I can tell I'm going to mess it up, and..." Her words were interrupted as I grabbed her and pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

Once we broke apart, I looked into her eyes as I spoke to her. "Lexi, listen to me. I know you can do this. I know how good you are, and I believe in you. You're one of the best duellists in Duel Academy, and if facing a pro doesn't scare someone like Jaden, then why should it scare you?" I paused, kissing Lexi's forehead. "You will beat him, Lexi. I promise you."

Lexi smiled at me. "Thank you, Shaun. For believing in me." She hugged me closely. "I won't let you down, Shaun." We broke the hug and, hand in hand, we entered the cafeteria, almost like we were walking into the future.

* * *

Yes, Sartorius and Aster have appeared! From one threat to another-will it ever be peaceful for Duel Academy? Well, it could be, but that wouldn't be much of a story, would it?

The next chapter will be called "Time of Destiny"!

WARNING! Yu-Gi-Oh characters appearing soon!


	7. Time of Destiny: Alexis vs Aster!

Shaun1e here, with a new chapter! This is the first of the duels that was mentioned in the previous chapter-Aster vs Alexis! Who will win? Let us see!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough for now. I might take one or two later in the storyline-but not now.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Time of Destiny

"Attention, Duel Academy!" Shaun shouted into his microphone, as he entered Duel Academy's main duel arena the next day. "The two Duels you are about to see involve a Pro Duellist, a Pro Duellist's manager, and two students from this very school!" The crowd cheered. "First, let's introduce the Pro! All the way from Miami, Florida, give it up for the number one Pro Duellist, Aster Phoenix! And accompanying him, his manager, Sartorius!" The crowd gathered in the arena cheered as the pair walked out into the arena. Shaun raised the mic again. "And, as for our contingent, I am pleased to announce that the duellist facing Aster Phoenix is a very close friend of mine!"

"Here we go..." Chazz muttered.

"Stop being a party pooper, Chazz." Shaun said, turning to where he was. The crowd laughed as he continued. "Anyway, duelling Aster will be Obelisk Blue's own Alexis Rhodes!"

"How did he hear me?" Chazz wondered aloud as Alexis ran into the arena, a cheering crowd greeting her.

"Beats me, Chazz." Craig said. "I only just heard you, and I'm sitting right next to you."

Back on the arena, Shaun hugged Alexis as she reached the arena, then raised the microphone again. "And facing Sartorius, another accomplished Obelisk Blue duellist, one who is rather new to the school. That's right, you guessed it-it's the Machina Kid!" The crowd cheered even louder, if that were possible. Alexis snatched the mic away from Shaun.

"Stop over-hyping everything, Shaun." she said. The crowd laughed, as Shaun appeared to grumble. "Besides, didn't we agree to let me introduce you?"

"Oh yeah...oops. Sorry Lexi." Shaun said sheepishly, into another microphone. The crowd chuckled collectively.

"Did you see what I saw?" Jaden said, seemingly surprised. "That microphone appeared out of nowhere!"

"Something strange is happening here." Bastion said, shocked. "How did he do that?"

"_Looks like they saw that. I'll have to be more careful from now on._" Shaun thought. Out loud "It's time for the first duel to begin! Take the stage, Aster and Alexis, and let the fun commence!" He hopped off the arena stage to make room for the duel.

"Your boyfriend is rather flamboyant, isn't he?" Aster quipped, as he and Alexis shuffled each other's decks.

"Only when a duel's about to start." Alexis said, smiling. "But that's just one of the reasons I love him so much." She handed back Aster's deck, and took back her own, before returning to her side of the field. "Don't think this will be easy, Aster."

"Don't worry, Alexis." Aster said, smiling himself. "I never underestimate an opponent, especially not a future Pro." With that, the duel began.

* * *

DUEL!

Aster: 4000

Alexis: 4000

"I'll start, since I'm the pro." Aster said, as he drew. "I'll set two cards face down, and summon Destiny Hero Diamond Dude, in Attack Mode!" A man partially made out of crystals, with a dark cloak, appeared on the field. (1400/1600)

"Ah, a Destiny Hero deck." Craig, in the stands, smiled. "This could be a fun duel."

"Yup." Aster smiled. "Next, I trigger Diamond Dude's effect, letting me see the top card of my deck. If it's a Normal Spell, it goes to the Graveyard, and I can use its effect next turn. If it isn't, it's sent to the bottom of my deck." He drew the card, smiled, and showed it to the crowd. "It's Burst Stream of Destruction, so it goes to the Graveyard. And with that, I'll play one card face-down, and end my turn."

"This isn't good at all." Jaden, Syrus, Bastion and Chazz, who were in the stands, turned to see Shaun sitting down just behind them.

"Why is it bad?" Bastion asked. "Burst Stream of Destruction cannot activate next turn, as it needs a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in play to use."

"Usually, Bastion, you'd be right." Shaun said. "But Diamond Dude's effect means that it can activate the effect of the Spell, but not the costs or requirements. Therefore, it's free destruction of her monsters next turn that she can't stop."

"Ouch." Atticus said. "That's painful."

"I'll say." Another voice, this one appearing just behind Shaun. He turned to see a young Obelisk Blue, who looked very familiar to him. "If my uncle were here, though, we'd be seeing that card anyway."

"Hey, young Obelisk." Shaun said, smiling. "I don't believe I know your name."

"Oh, sorry." the Obelisk said. "I'm Felicity."

"Pleased to meet you, Felicity." Shaun said, smiling, as he turned back to the duel. An afterthought occurred to him, as he turned back to Felicity. "You said your uncle would use that card. I know of only one duellist that would use Blue-Eyes White Dragons competitively, and that's an old friend of mine, Seto Kaiba. Would you happen to be related to him?"

"Actually, he's my uncle." Felicity said, blushing slightly. "Him and my mum don't really get on, though. I don't know why."

"I see." Shaun said. "Well, nice to meet you, Felicity." Smiling, he turned back to the duel.

"A good start, Aster." Alexis said, as she drew. "I'll summon Cyber Tutu, in Attack Mode!" The young-looking ballerina monster appeared on the field, smiling. (1000/800) "Now, as your Diamond Dude is stronger than my Cyber Tutu, I can attack directly! Cyber Tutu, Pounding Pirouette!" The ballerina spun faster and faster, then launched herself into Aster, knocking him backwards.

Aster: 3000 (Direct attack from Cyber Tutu.)

Alexis: 4000

"Impressive, Alexis." Aster smiled. "But after the Battle Phase is done, I can activate this, Triplicate!" A card with one monster becoming three in its picture appeared. "Now, by giving up five hundred Life Points-and this is compulsory, by the way-then we summon two Triplicate Tokens, with the same ATK and DEF as one of our monsters!" As the Life Point meters changed, tokens appeared on both sides of the field. (Alexis' tokens: (1000/800) Aster's tokens: (1400/1600)) "And when these tokens are destroyed, we take damage equal to their current ATK."

Aster: 2500 (Triplicate)

Alexis: 3500 (Triplicate)

"Hmmm." was Alexis' only reply.

"A sneaky plan by Aster." Craig said, sounding impressed. "Now all he needs is for his card effect to go through, and he's won."

"Craig, here's a tip for you." Shaun said, sounding a little annoyed. "Never rule Alexis out of a match until her life points hit 0. She almost always has tricks left."

"So much faith in one so young..." Felicity said, quietly.

Shaun turned back. "You're one to talk about people being young, Felicity." he said, even quieter. "You're younger than Alexis, after all."

Her only reply was to stick her tongue out at Shaun. Chuckling, he turned back to the duel.

"I'll set two cards face-down, and end my turn." Alexis declared.

"My turn, then." Aster drew. "And since we're now in the Standby Phase, Burst Stream of Destruction activates, destroying all your monsters!"

"Not when my Mirror Flash activates." Alexis smiled as her card appeared.

"YES! She's won!" Shaun shouted.

"This card redirects one effect from my side of the field to yours, Aster, also giving me 500 Life Points back." Alexis said, smiling more. "So this duel's almost over. But I have one more card to activate-Shield and Sword!" Her other card flipped over. "With this card, I can swap the ATK and DEF of every monster on the field until the end of the turn!" (DD: (1600/1400) TC: (1600/1400)*2) "And what was that about your clones taking points off you when they're destroyed?"

"I...lost?" That was all that Aster could say as his clones were destroyed.

Aster: 0 (Triplicate's effect)

Alexis: 4000 (Mirror Flash's boost)

Alexis wins by shutout!

* * *

"And that's game!" Alexis said happily, flashing the peace symbol.

"Copycat." Shaun fake-grumbled. Craig, Jaden, Syrus, Chazz, Atticus, Alexis and Felicity chuckled. He ran down to the arena stage, grabbing a microphone on the way. He spoke into it "What a great duel, wouldn't you agree?" The crowd cheered. "But now, we must move on, as now we have another exciting duel to engage you in. The Pro moves aside for his manager, and the Cyber Beauty moves aside for the Machina Kid!" He grinned as he hopped onto the stage, next to Alexis.

"'Cyber Beauty'?" whispered Alexis.

"I knew you'd love it, Lexi," Shaun whispered to her, smiling. "Besides, the best part of that nickname is that it's true."

Alexis blushed. "Thanks, Shaun." she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Anytime, Lex." Shaun said, as she hopped off the stage. Turning to Sartorius, he said "Ready to lose some money, Sartorius?"

"I already am, Shaun." Sartorius said, matter of factly. "But I won't be losing any more. Time to duel!"

* * *

New Cards from this chapter:

Mirror Flash  
Counter Trap  
Card Text: If any card on your side of the field would be affected by a card affect, you can activate this card. Change the target of your opponent's effect to your opponent's side of the field. If the effect is one that does not activate from the field, gain 500 Life Points.

Triplicate  
Continuous Trap  
Card Text: When this card is activated, both players must pay 500 Life Points. Each player then summons two Triplicate Tokens to their side of the field. The ATK and DEF of these tokens is equal to the ATK and DEF of the monster on their side of the field with the highest Level. In the case of a tie, the highest ATK score will determine which monster is selected. When a Triplicate Token is destroyed, the controller takes damage equal to the Token's ATK score at the time of its destruction. If this card is removed from the field, destroy all Triplicate Tokens still on the field, without dealing damage.

* * *

New OCs in this chapter:

Felicity Kaiba

Deck Type: Zombie Madness

Personality: Untalkative and mainly unwilling to make friends, due to bullying in earlier life, but once she gets to know someone, is a caring and friendly person. She is in Obelisk Blue.

Kindred Spirit: Patrician of Darkness

* * *

The next chapter will be called "Arcana vs Machina"!

Note: Yes, Diamond Dude's effect does work like that in the TCG and OCG-if a card is activated by Diamond Dude's effect, no costs need to be paid-whether Life Point costs, like Dimension Fusion, or hand costs, like Magical Stone Excavation. Most cards requiring specific field conditions will also still work, but some will fail. A very powerful monster effect, then. Just keeping it in play can change a duel.

Another great duel, with another duel around the corner! Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon, I promise!


	8. Arcana vs Machina!

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Nine! Shaun vs Sartorius next! And we get to see a familiar face-one that has appeared in Yu-Gi-Oh, and Yu-Gi-Oh GX! Who will it be? You'll have to read on and see!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough for now. I might take one or two later in the storyline-but not now.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Arcana vs Machina!

DUEL!

Sartorius: 4000  
Shaun: 4000

"I'll take the first turn!" Sartorius shouted, as he drew. "I summon Arcana Force IV-The Emperor!" The strange metallic machine appeared, with its card above it, spinning. (1400/1400) "This monster has two effects, depending on what side you stop the card on. If it stops right-side up, all of my Arcana Force monsters gain 500 ATK. But if it lands upside down, all of my Arcana Force monsters lose 500 ATK instead. Make your choice!"

"OK, stop!" Shaun said, watching the card. It slowed-and stopped right-side up. "Damn, didn't need that." (Emperor: 1900/1900)

"Next, I play Cup of Ace." Sartorius stated. Another spinning card appeared. "A chance to redeem yourself, young one. Right-side up, and I draw two cards. Upside down, and you draw two cards."

"Not quite, Sartorius." Shaun said, smiling. "Now that you've played your second spinning card effect, I can activate-from my hand-Manipulation of Fate!" The card appeared on the field. "Now, when a card has more than one effect, chosen at random, I select which effect activates!"

Aster, who had joined the group of Shaun's friends watching the duel, looked shocked. "That card's incredibly rare! Where did Shaun get it from?"

Felicity spoke up. "I believe I can answer that one." Everyone turned to her. "Shaun bought that card from my uncle, Seto Kaiba, a while back. I never found out what the price of it was, though."

"And you're not going to now, either." Shaun said, with a slight smile. "Although I thought you didn't get on well with him."

"I just said my mum didn't, Shaun." Felicity smirked. "I get along with him fine."

Shaun grumbled slightly, then turned back to the duel. "For Cup of Ace, I select the upside-down effect." He drew two cards, looked at them, and added them to his hand.

"An impressive first move, Shaun." Sartorius said. "I place three cards face-down and end my turn."

"I draw, then." Shaun drew his eighth card, adding it to his hand. His smile widened. "This game could soon be over. I play Machina Rush!" Machina Gearframe, Machina Fortress and Machina Soldier adorned the card. "By giving up half my Life Points, I can summon every Machina monster in my hand, ignoring all summoning conditions! The only snag is that all of their effects are negated, but that's not strictly a bad thing, as my monsters are Machina Peacekeeper, Machine Gearframe, Machina Fortress and Machina Force!" The four monsters appeared, one after the other, as Shaun played them onto his Duel Disk. (Peacekeeper: (500/400) Gearframe: (1800/0) Fortress: (2500/1600) Force: (4600/4100))

Sartorius: 4000  
Shaun: 2000 (Machina Rush)

"Wow." Jaden looked shocked. "Machina Rush should be banned! That's too much power!"

"It has one major downside, though." Craig said. "Shaun also has to remove one Machina monster from his deck for every monster he summons. He summoned four monsters, so he has to send four monsters from his deck."

"Correct, Craig." Shaun said. "I select from my deck Machina Soldier, Machina Sniper, Machina Defender and Machina Knight." The four cards shot out of Shaun's deck, and he pocketed them. "Next, I play Heavy Storm, and chain Machina Cannon!" The two cards appeared. "Machina Cannon becomes a monster with 1850 DEF, and its primary effect activates whenever a Machina monster is destroyed by an effect, and it takes half of that monster's ATK from your Life Points. Next, Heavy Storm destroys all Spell and Trap cards on the field, including Machina Rush, meaning that all four of my Machina monsters are destroyed!"

"That's another one-turn kill!" Alexis shouted, stunned.

"Is that all Shaun can do, or do some of his duels last for longer?" Felicity said, smiling.

"Ha ha, Felicity." Shaun said, smiling too. "Now, 4600 plus 2500 is 7100, plus the 1800 makes 8900, as well as adding the 500, making 9400. So that makes a grand total of damage at 9400 divided by two, equalling...Anyone?"

"That's 4700 damage!" Bastion said, seeming proud.

"Correct, Brainbox." Shaun smirked. "OK then, Sartorius, looks like we won by a total of 6000 Life Points. Can someone multiply that by twenty, please?"

Sartorius just looked shocked, as the cannon fired at him, knocking him off the stage.

Sartorius: 0 (Machina Cannon's effect.)  
Shaun: 2000

Shaun wins!

* * *

"And that's game!" Shaun said, flashing the peace symbol.

"Copycat." Alexis muttered.

"And who copied whom first, Lexi?" Shaun said, turning to her, mock angriness in his voice. He smiled after he said that, to signal that he was joking. "Meh, it doesn't really matter. Right, let's see." He hopped down to the ground, running around to Sartorius. "Are you OK, Sartorius? That cannon knocked you a fair way."

"I'm alright, Shaun." Sartorius said, smiling. "That was a great duel-and the use of Manipulation of Fate was one thing I wasn't expecting."

"Well, to be honest, sir," Shaun said, respectfully, "you can't expect everything in a duel to go the way you expect it to. Sometimes you have to be able to improvise-and that's what I usually try to do every duel I'm in."

"Very true, of course." Sartorius said, with another smile. "_Although how I did not forsee that, I will never know._" Out loud: "Here's what I promised you." The box was handed over to Shaun. "All it needs is a name written in the top part."

"Then could you write the name 'Alexis Rhodes' on it for me, please?" Shaun said, shocking everyone, not least Alexis.

"You're giving all the money to me?" Alexis asked faintly.

"Of course, Lexi." Shaun beamed, putting an arm around her waist. "The money would be nothing to me if I didn't have you." Alexis smiled hugely, blushing at the same time.

"The money's nothing to you anyway, Shaun." They all turned to see...

"Seto Kaiba!" Shaun exclaimed, shocked. "Good to see you again!"

"Well, I have to make occasional visits to the Duel Academy I own, don't I?" Kaiba said, smiling slightly. Felicity appeared next to Kaiba, seemingly out of nowhere.

Suddenly, Shaun heard Felicity's voice in his mind. "_Can I talk to you later, Shaun?_" the voice said.

Shaun nodded, answering both questions.

Kaiba smiled slightly at this. "The reason I say that the money isn't important to Shaun is because he has enough of it already-I think his last valuation was at around three billion dollars of personal wealth."

This stunned the entire duel arena crowd. Shaun was the first to recover. "There's a reason I didn't tell anybody about that!" he shouted at Kaiba. "What gives you the right to tell everyone about my personal wealth, Seto Kaiba?"

"Please, calm down, Shaun..." Alexis said, tugging at his arm. Her soothing words seemed to help, as Shaun wasn't as furious after these words as he was before them.

"Well, Shaun," Seto said, "I think Duel Academy would like to know the identity of its future owner." The crowd gasped.

Shaun's eyes widened. "You're not saying..."

Felicity finished what Seto had started to say. "Seto accepted your bid for Duel Academy! You're going to own Duel Academy!" Shaun's jaw dropped. His wasn't the only one.

"Own it? REALLY?" Shaun seemed delighted. "YES!"

"...On one condition." Kaiba seemed to like depressing people.

"Don't tell me, Kaiba." Shaun said, still buzzing. "I beat you, in a duel."

"Wrong." Kaiba smiled. "Yes, that was my original plan, but now I have a new one. You and Alexis Rhodes beat both me and my niece Felicity in a Tag Duel. You win, your bid goes through. You lose, I retain Duel Academy."

Shaun looked at Alexis, seeing worry and apprehension in her eyes. "Would it be alright if we gave our answer tomorrow, Seto?"

"But of course." Kaiba smiled. "And just to make things a bit more interesting, I'll reduce the asking price to one hundred million, instead of the two hundred and fifty million dollar asking price, if you agree-and win."

"I'll get back to you on that one, Seto." Shaun said, unnerved. "Come on, Lexi, we should go discuss this."

"OK then..." Alexis said, sounding a bit worried.

* * *

New Cards from this chapter:

Manipulation of Fate  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: You can activate this card from your hand when your opponent plays more than one card in a turn that has effects that activate from a coin toss or a dice roll. While this card is in play, you select the results of any coin toss or dice roll that a card effect calls for. Pay 1000 Life Points during each of your End Phases. If you do not, this card is removed from play.

Machina Rush  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: Pay half of your Life Points. You can Special Summon every "Machina" monster from your hand to the field this turn, in face-up Attack Position, ignoring all Summoning conditions. Any monster summoned by this effect has their effects negated. For every monster summoned by this effect, you must send one "Machina" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard. When this card is removed from the field, destroy all monsters summoned by this effect.

Machina Cannon  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: When this card is activated, it is Special Summoned as an Effect Monster, in Defence Position (Machine-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 1850). When a "Machina" monster is destroyed by a card effect, inflict damage to your opponent equal to half of the destroyed monster's ATK. When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard, you can Tribute 1 "Machina" monster you control to destroy 2 cards on the field. Only 1 "Machina Cannon" can be on the field at one time. While this card is face-up on the field, it is treated as an Effect Monster only.

* * *

The next chapter will be a DOUBLE chapter, "Owner's Privilege" and "The Road to Recovery".

Note: This next update will be a double chapter for a reason. There will be no duels. There will be much talking. But, crucially, there will be some explaining. Cue the "At last!" shouts.

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	9. Owner's Privilege and Road to Recovery

Shaun1e here, with Chapters Ten and Eleven! This is where the explanations will appear-but it gets a bit teary, so warnings ahoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am NOT taking any OC applications. Sorry, but I have enough for now. I might take one or two later in the storyline-but not now.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Owners' Privilege

"I can't see this being a good idea, Shaun." Alexis said uneasily.

They were sitting on the roof of the Obelisk Blue dorm, looking at the sky, arms around each other's shoulders. Shaun looked over to Alexis. "Why not, Lexi?" he said, smiling. "Think of it this way-if we own Duel Academy, we have the final say on stuff-including any staff or student changes."

"That's exactly my point, Shaun." Alexis said, sighing. "We'd have too much power over the school. And since when would this be a joint venture?"

"Since we got together, and whatever's mine is yours." Shaun said. He sighed now, too. "But I will agree, maybe it's a bad idea while we're still enrolled here. Maybe when we leave." The two lovers looked into each other's eyes for a while, enjoying each other's company...until...

"Boo!" The two lovers jumped, and spun to see Felicity Kaiba standing behind them.

"How did you manage to sneak up on us like that?" Shaun said, perplexed. "I'd have sensed you when you came close!"

"Shaun..." Alexis said warningly.

"Don't worry about it, Lexi," Shaun said, smiling. "Felicity knows all about what I mean."

"Actually, I don't." Felicity said, sounding confused. "I'm just very good at being quiet."

Shaun was the one to look confused now. "_OK, maybe not found them yet. No biggie._" Out loud: "I'm very good at sensing when people are near me-it's a talent that quite a few people share. Only thing is, I've got something helping it." He made sparks jump from his hand, startling the two girls.

"How did you do that?" Felicity sounded excited. "I want to do that!"

"And you probably can, Felicity." Shaun said, smiling. "It was magic, and I sense great power within you."

"Within me?" The young Kaiba sounded unsure. "Are you sure about that?

"I'm never wrong about this, Felicity." Shaun sounded sure of himself. "In fact, let me show you what I mean. _Stupefy!_" A beam of red light shot from his hands and struck Felicity, but it had no effect on her. "And that should have stunned you rigid, and only people with magic within them can block spells like that, without help. Besides, you talked to me mentally earlier-and that's something that only magic users can do."

Felicity smiled. "I've been able to talk using my mind for years, Shaun," she said. "I always wondered why I had that power, and now it's clear to me." Her expression turned to confusion. "But if I have these powers, then why haven't I noticed them before? And why can't I use them?"

"I don't know, Felicity." Shaun said, sounding confused himself. "But all I know is that all people-and all magics-evolve, grow and appear at different rates. Your powers might just be slow to appear." He smiled. "But when they do appear, I'd be happy to teach you what I know about magic."

Alexis smiled. "Always giving, Shaun." she said, grabbing his arm. "I sometimes think you're too generous."

"Better too generous than too miserly, Lexi." Shaun said, smiling, as they kissed. Once they broke apart, Shaun turned to Felicity. "May I see your duelling deck, Felicity?" he asked.

"Of course, Shaun," Felicity said, as she passed it to him. He started looking through it, noticing as he did that every monster was a Zombie-Type.

"An interesting deck, Felicity." Shaun said, handing it back. She took it gratefully. "But it could do with a little improvement, especially if Seto uses his main deck. Here, take this." Shaun handed Felicity a copy of Zombie World. "It changes all monsters on the field and in every player's Graveyard to Zombie-Types, and only allows Tribute Summons if the monsters being summoned are also Zombies." He grinned, then continued. "That affects all players in the duel, though, so be careful."

Felicity looked at the card, seemingly stunned. "Are...are you sure, Shaun?" she asked, apparently close to tears. "This is a very rare card."

"I don't need it, Felicity." Shaun said, smiling. "And you do, so the choice is obvious to me." Suddenly, Felicity leapt forward and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Shaun!" she squealed happily. "I've been looking for this for years!"

"No problem, Felicity." Shaun said, smiling, as Felicity let go of him. "It's the least I could do for a friend."

Suddenly, he sensed something nearby. Before he could react, he was knocked backwards-off the building he was standing on.

"SHAUN!" Alexis screamed, running to the edge to see her boyfriend collapsed on the floor. "I have to get down there to him!" With that, she turned and sprinted to the stairway leading down to the dorm proper, Felicity hot on her heels. "_Please, PLEASE let him be alright._" Alexis begged mentally. "_I couldn't bear to lose him. Not after so long without him._"

* * *

Alexis and Felicity burst out of the dorm building, reaching Shaun as he groaned in pain.

"Ughh..." Shaun said, clearly in great pain. "What happened?"

"I wish I knew." Alexis sobbed, holding on to one of Shaun's hands tightly. "Please tell me you're not too badly hurt, Shaun."

"I won't lie to you, Lex." Shaun said, softly, squeezing Alexis' hand with the one she was grasping. "I'm in agony here, and I can't feel either of my legs at all."

Felicity, who had stood stunned by the side of Shaun and the now-crying Alexis, started running. "I'll go get some help!" she shouted.

When Felicity had gone, Shaun turned his head slightly to look at Alexis. He noticed her crying, and looked startled. "Lexi..." he said, more softly than before. "Please don't cry, darling."

Alexis sniffled. "How can I not cry?" she sobbed. "The love of my life is in great pain-of course I'm going to cry."

"It's not your fault I'm hurt, Lex." Shaun, with great effort, turned his whole body to face Alexis, and raised his hand to cup her face. "Don't cry, hun. Really. I'll be better before you know it." She seemed to launch disbelief at a hundred miles an hour. Shaun smiled weakly, even that an effort. "My body can heal at much faster rates than normal. Magic, again. I'll be fine by the end of tomorrow. I promise." He continued. "Don't get me wrong, Lexi-I really do appreciate the concern, but there's no need for you to cry." Suddenly, Alexis adjusted her position so that she was lying next to him, and kissed him passionately.

"I love you, Shaun." she said, still crying. "I've loved you ever since I first met you. I want to keep you safe from everything and anything. And if this can happen without me being able to do a thing..." She erupted into more tears, screaming to the heavens, "What can I do? How am I supposed to protect you when I don't know what to protect you from?"

"Alexis, please, calm down." The softly spoken words had an effect on Alexis, who looked deep into Shaun's eyes, her anger simmering down. "Thank you," he said, smiling. "And we will always be able to protect each other, Lexi." he continued. "But sometimes, things happen that we can't control, and we have to accept that. I love you too, Lexi, always have, and always will." His tone grew more serious, his smile fading. "But I know that I can't be there all of the time. I'd give all I had to spend eternity with you, to be honest. All of it." He kept his tone as he continued. "But, Lexi, you have to accept that not everything works out as we planned. Things like this freak accident happen, hun, and we can't do anything about it." Even he started crying, as he hugged Alexis, ignoring the large amount of pain it caused him. "I love you so much, Lexi."

"And I love you too, Shaun." Alexis said, crying with him, and hugging him tightly.

That was how they were found about five minutes later by the Academy's medical staff. They had to pry Shaun out of Alexis' arms in order to get him to the medical area of the main building. Alexis refused to leave his side until he was back to his old self-which Shaun appreciated more than anything else she could give him. "_I'm glad I found Lexi again._" he thought, as he arrived in the medical department. "_She's the one I could see myself with for the rest of my life. And what a life that would be!_"

* * *

Chapter Eleven: The Road to Recovery

The next day arrived with Alexis slumped in a chair next to Shaun's bed in the medical wing of Duel Academy, fast asleep, one hand still holding one of Shaun's. The door opening woke her from her sleep, to reveal Jaden, Atticus, Syrus and Felicity entering and coming towards them.

"Is he OK?" Atticus asked gently. "We heard he had quite a fall."

Alexis moved closer to Shaun, stroking the top of his head, staring at him lovingly as she replied. "The doctors say he'll be fine to come out of here by the end of tomorrow, so all should be back to normal soon."

"That soon?" Syrus asked, sounding shocked. "I heard he broke both his legs in the fall!"

"You heard right, little buddy." Shaun had woken up, and was looking directly at the crowd. "Maybe I should have told you lot this before now." He sighed.

"Shaun, is that necessary?" Felicity asked, sounding worried now.

"Is what necessary? What's happening?" Atticus asked. His voice was a lot less gentle now.

"Atty, calm down!" Alexis said quickly. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

Shaun smiled weakly, and began to tell his story...

* * *

"It was about five years ago, before I'd met any of you." Shaun started. "I hadn't even heard of Duel Monsters then, despite the game being very popular. That changed when I watched a replay of a Battle City match. It was Joey Wheeler's first match, against Esper Roba-and it was being broadcast worldwide by Kaiba Corp. I have no idea why he would have picked that particular match to broadcast-it's no secret that he hated Joey." Shaun chuckled, as did Felicity. Everyone else looked perplexed. Shaun sighed, then continued. "After that game had finished broadcasting, I went out for a walk, and noticed a card on the floor. I picked it up and looked at it, only to see a Dark Magician." Everyone gasped at that-the Dark Magician was incredibly rare at that time. Shaun continued. "Once I'd picked it up, I fainted. Embarrassing, you might think. It gets weird when you hear that I woke up somewhere not in this world." More gasps. "I didn't know that at the time, of course. Suddenly, I was hit by a black light. A voice echoed out 'You are not worthy of the power you possess! You shall die!'"

"Well, they didn't make a good job of that, then." People turned to see Craig walking towards them. "Doesn't explain much, though, mate."

"If people didn't interrupt, Craig," Shaun said, smiling, "then you'd get a better explanation." Craig smiled sheepishly, motioning for Shaun to continue. "Thank you. Now, where was I...Oh yes, the black light. That light really hurt." Shaun paused, shuddering. Alexis put an arm around him, comforting him. "I forgot I've already told you, Lexi." Shaun said, smiling, before continuing his story. "When the light hit, time seemed to stop for me, as the Dark Magician I'd picked up appeared in front of me. 'Take hold of your power, Shaun!' he cried, as he vanished. Suddenly, I was able to shrug off the black light, and started glowing with a white light of my own. 'NO! YOU CANNOT!' the voice from before shouted. 'I'm out of here.' I said, as I concentrated on home. And that's where I was a second later-but I felt more empowered than before. And that's your explanation-I possess magical powers that were seemingly given to me by a Dark Magician, which," Shaun pulled out a card from his pocket, turning it to show everyone gathered there, "I still have."

"It looks old enough," Felicity said, reaching for it. "May I?" Shaun passed it to her, but was unprepared for the card starting to glow. Suddenly, the Dark Magician was there in the room!

* * *

"Please tell me I'm imagining this." Atticus said, backing away.

"I see that I am among unbelievers." the Dark Magician said, raising his staff.

"No!" Shaun shouted. "Dark Magician, stop! They're friends!"

"Your friends, perhaps." The Magician started charging an attack. "But not mine!" The blast fired, and shot towards the group of people, only to be blocked by a barrier of light.

"You want my friends, Dark Magician?" Felicity shouted, from behind the barrier. By the looks of things, she had created it. It seemed her powers had finally decided to appear to her. "Then battle ME!"

The Magician seemed to consider this, then shook its head. "The battle's not worth it." He turned to Shaun. "Be lucky your injury is not permanent, mortal. Next time, it will be."

Shaun turned bright red in anger. "YOU DID THIS?" he screamed.

"Shaun..." Alexis said, warningly.

"No, Alexis, not this time!" Shaun said quietly. "This time, the anger comes to play." He pulled out what appeared to be a simple stick from the same pocket the Dark Magician card came from-except a simple stick wouldn't have scared the Dark Magician like this one did-or Alexis. "You will be sorry for what you did!" Shaun screamed. "_Lividius!_"

"NO! Shaun, please, stop!" Alexis shouted, her voice full of fear, as the Dark Magician was flung across the room, smashing into the door. It then started writhing in pain on the ground, as Shaun stood and advanced towards it, fury etched on his face.

"Why, Dark Magician?" The tone of Shaun's voice was the only thing that betrayed his cold fury. "Tell me why you tried to kill me, and I might spare your life."

The Dark Magician merely smiled evilly. "You wouldn't kill me," it said. "You couldn't kill the Lord of Darkness when you had the chance, so why would you kill me?"

Shaun raised the stick, which was a magic wand. "Because this time, it's _personal_." He smiled himself, but it was an angry smile. "And when you threatened those close to me, you made it so that your last chance is telling me why you did this."

"Then that chance is gone, isn't it?" The Dark Magician stood, about to charge another attack.

"_Destructis Ultima!_" Shaun screamed. The beam of light that shot from the wand blasted the Dark Magician to dust. The other people in the room shared looks of shock and fear. Alexis was the only person who dared say anything to him.

"Shaun..." she said, the fear in her voice clear. "You can calm down now...It's gone." She walked over to him, but was unprepared for the soft crying she could hear. She ran over to Shaun and put an arm around him, her voice changing to a much more caring tone. "Come on, Shaun, he's gone. It's over."

"No it's not." Shaun's voice sounded like he looked-close to breaking down. "I just had to kill a close friend, of course it's not over. There'll be more enemies-and I'll have even less help to take them down."

"You'll always have me, Shaun." Alexis said, almost too softly for him to hear. "Even though I can't do much, I'll be here for you. Always."

"And so will I." Felicity had appeared on the other side of him. "And so will all your friends. You're not alone, Shaun."

Shaun raised his head, and smiled. "Thanks, you two." he said. "Always know what to say to raise someone's spirits, eh?" He chuckled at what he had said, then groaned in pain. "I knew I should have stayed in bed." Wordlessly, Alexis and Felicity picked Shaun up and carried him back to the bed he was occupying. "Thanks, you two. And, Lexi?"

"Yeah, hun?" she said.

"I know you love me," Shaun said, smiling slightly, "but you do have other friends, so go spend some time with them, yeah? I'll still be here, in one piece, when you get back. I promise."

Alexis chuckled. "OK then, since you asked so nicely." she said, still chuckling. "But if you get hurt while I'm gone, don't expect much sympathy from me."

"How can I get more hurt than I already am?" Shaun said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"Just keep safe, Shaun, OK?" Alexis said. Shaun nodded, and they kissed. "I'll be back soon, Shaun." she said, as the group of friends left. As the door shut, Alexis could swear she heard Shaun crying. "_He must have taken that hard._" she thought, worried for her boyfriend. "_I've never seen him lose control like that. I hope he'll be OK-I really do._"

* * *

The next chapter will be "Ascension of the Light".

Note: Wow. Just...wow. Who would have expected that? Well, I did, but I actually wrote the story, so that's a certainty. The next chapter is a "viewpoint" chapter, inside the mind of a different character than Shaun. For once.

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	10. Ascension of the Light

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Twelve! Yep, you guessed it from the title, this chapter introduces the Society!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Ascension of the Light

(This chapter is told from Alexis' point of view)

It's been two weeks since that battle with the Dark Magician, and Shaun's still somber about it. At least, I think that's what he's upset about, and I can usually tell what he's upset about-most of the time, I can read him like a book. He's not talking to anyone as much, either-and he's normally hard to shut up! Not that I'd want him to shut up, but there has to be something up, if he's this quiet. I'm going to talk about it with him today-if he'd give me a chance to talk about anything!

"I can hear what you're thinking, Lexi." Those words stopped my thoughts in their tracks. Damn his mind-reading powers. "And it's not that making me upset, just to clarify."

OK, THAT confused me. "Then what's wrong, Shaun?" I said. "I can't help you if you don't let me help you." I hugged him, to see if that helped.

It didn't. He hugged me back, though. I love his hugs. "I'll tell you if you can find one duellist in this school good enough to beat me in a one on one duel, Lexi." he said, with that slight smile I love so much.

"Only one?" I said, teasingly. "That shouldn't be that difficult."

"Oh really, Lexi?" he said, his smile broader. At least he's smiling now. "Then it won't be a problem if I challenge the next person I see, then?"

"Of course not." I replied, kissing him on the cheek. Typically, who should walk past but Jaden? Well, it could be an interesting match.

"Hey, Jaden?" Shaun shouted to him. "How's about that rematch you owe me?"

"Now?" Jaden seemed happy now. "Well, get your game on!"

"Hold on, Jaden." Shaun interrupted. "I was thinking in the main arena, just after classes finish. I can book it myself."

Now Jaden looked uneasy. I suppose I did, as well. "Well, OK then, 'till then, Shaun!"

"Bring your A-Game, Jaden," Shaun shouted, as Jaden ran off, presumably to work on his deck-or to get to a class. Probably the latter-since when did Jaden work on his deck? "'Cos you'll need it!"

"Don't be cocky, Shaun." I scolded, as I lightly slapped his arm.

"My apologies, ma'am." Shaun said, in mock-apologetic tones, kissing my hand. I chuckled-I think I'm too used to Shaun by now to do more than that.

"Why the main arena, anyway?" I asked, wondering where this is going.

"Because, Lexi," Shaun said, smiling. "I'll be making an announcement after the duel-and I want the whole school there to hear it."

"Is that announcement the one that you're buying Duel Academy?" I asked, sounding slightly upset by that.

"No, it's not." Shaun smiled. I love that smile. "I've convinced Seto to let me buy the Academy once I've graduated, so that there isn't a conflict of interest. Plus it means we can stay here forever, if we want." He pulled me towards him for a hug-which I gladly returned, smiling myself. I just can't forget how much I love him. I hope I never lose him.

* * *

Suddenly, a ray of light shot from the sky to the ground-the ground where the Obelisk Blue dorm was situated. Me and Shaun watched it from the main building.

"What was that?" I said, worried.

"Hold on tight, Lexi." Shaun replied, as he started to spin. I grabbed onto his arm, as the two of us disappeared...and reappeared just outside the Obelisk Blue dorm. No, wait...

"OK, who used the entire school's supply of white paint?" I asked, groaning. I chuckled inwardly at my joke, before I looked at Shaun again.

Shaun seemed just to stare towards the dorm, saying "No...not them, and not now." Suddenly, he groaned. "Why does this always happen?"

"Bow down to the Society of Light!" A voice behind us. The two of us turned to see...

"Chazz?" Shaun seemed unsurprised. "What a surprise. I would like to speak to Sartorius, please."

Chazz sneered. "Master Sartorius does not wish to waste his time with people who have not seen the light, you fool." He seemed to be considering something, though. "If you can defeat me in a duel, then you may see him. Lose, though, and you're joining the Society of Light!"

"No can do, Chazz." Shaun seemed to be getting angry. Not good. "I'm already duelling Jaden later today, so you'll have to wait We should be going, anyway. Come on, Lexi." We left, my arm around him, trying to calm Shaun down before he got _really_ angry. I couldn't let that happen-not again. I'll never tell him this, but I'm really frightened when he's angry-it's like he's become a whole new person.

* * *

"What's happened, Shaun?" I asked, as soon as we're out of hearing of the Obelisk Blue dorm.

Shaun's only response was to groan. Then he said "I knew I should have challenged Sartorius earlier."

"What do you mean, hun?" I asked, moving him over to a bench nearby, and sitting down together, my arm still around him, but my head resting on his shoulder.

"When I shook Sartorius' hand, when we first met him," Shaun said, "I sensed a mystical power within him. I had no way of knowing what it was, but I know it's him behind this." He wasn't angry now, thank goodness-more despondent, and I don't know which is worse. "What's worse is that I don't know how he's done it, so I can't counter it."

I kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry too much about it right now, Shaun." I said, trying to cheer him up. "If we can't do anything right now, let's just wait until we can do something."

"Yeah..." Shaun seemed to consider this. "Yeah, that's a good plan, Lexi." He smiled, and I was reminded yet again of why I loved him so much. I don't think my heart can take much more of this-but it'll have to. "Come on-I've got a few Elemental Heroes to beat." We stood up and, arm in arm, we headed for the duel arena, which was packed with students ready to watch the duel between the former Junior World Champion and the Slifer Red student who had only ever lost once in Duel Academy. This could be fun.

* * *

The next chapter will be "A Grave Mistake".

Note: This note applies for the whole story-but I'm sorry if any characters are appearing out of character-I'm not too good at characterisation, to be honest.

That aside, Shaun will NOT be using Machinas for his next duel, but will instead show off his new deck type. The hint's in the Chapter name!

Also, you can guess why this chapter's so short-I wanted to make Shaun vs Jaden post number ten! And can you blame me?

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. I need about three of each to move on with the storyline as I have it. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be good duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type (Please don't pick any LIGHT-themed decks for the Shadow Knights, or DARK-themed for Society of Light):

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character):

Any other details that you think need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon! I promise!


	11. A Grave Mistake: Jaden vs Shaun!

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Thirteen! Did ya get the hint from last chapter? Well, no need to fret about it-cos here the chapter is!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: A Grave Mistake

DUEL!

Shaun: 4000  
Jaden: 4000

"I'll start, I think!" Shaun drew, smiling at his hand. "What a start! Right, I'll begin with Prohibition." The card appeared, glowing as it did. "This card lets me pick one card name, and that card cannot be used in the duel-being played, or activating its effects! And I select Polymerization!"

"That's Jaden's main card! Shaun's actually weakened Jaden's deck considerably-I spy an easier win!" Felicity seemed to be on Shaun's side a lot, which Alexis noticed. "_Looks like Shaun has more attention than he wanted,_" she thought, smiling.

"Good luck fusing now, Jaden." Shaun smirked. "And I'm guessing your deck hasn't changed much since the Junior Championships. I'll set a monster, along with two face-downs, then activate a field spell!"

"He's going for the Factory!" Bastion exclaimed. "But why now instead of the start of the turn?"

"I don't think that's his Machina deck, actually." Another new voice, this time from a Slifer Red.

Apparently, it was a Slifer that Shaun recognised. "Misty! Good to see you again!" he shouted up to the stands, smiling. "How's your father?"

"Still duelling, Shaun." Misty, as she had been introduced, smiled. "He's raring for a rematch, to show you why he, and not you, is the King of Games." The entire crowd gasped.

"I don't know what's more surprising," Syrus said. "The fact that Yugi Muto's daughter is at Duel Academy-in Slifer Red-or the fact that Shaun's beaten Yugi Muto."

"Actually, Syrus, it was a draw." Shaun laughed. "Yugi's unbeaten in over twelve years-you think he'd lose to me?"

"Why not, Shaun?" Felicity smiled. "You've beaten everyone else."

Shaun chuckled. "Not true-I still haven't played Seto yet. I'll have to get round to that, actually. Anyway, back to the duel. Misty was right, by the way-I'm not using my Machinas in this duel-I'm introducing a brand new deck. My field spell is Necrovalley!" Jaden gulped, as the field changed to a sunset-lit valley. "You know what this does, so I'll just end my turn now."

"I draw." Jaden said, grimacing at his cards.

"Bad hand, Jaden?" Shaun smirked. "Let's look at facts. You can't use Polymerization because of Prohibition, you can't use Miracle Fusion because of Necrovalley, and I can easily negate Trap Fusions with many effects in my deck. Face it-another win for me."

"It's not over yet, Shaun." Jaden was confident, at least. "I summon Elemental Hero Necroshade, in Attack Mode!" The DARK-Attribute Elemental Hero appeared on the field. (1600/1800) "Attack his face-down monster!" The monster flipped, to reveal Gravekeeper's Spy. (1200-1700/2000-2500) "Damn!"

Shaun: 4000  
Jaden: 3100 (Battle Damage from Necroshade against Spy.)

Shaun spoke up now. "Since my Gravekeeper's Spy was flipped, I can summon another Gravekeeper with 1500 or less ATK from my deck-I'll pick Gravekeeper's Assailant!" (1500-2000/1500/2000) "I'll also chain Inferno Reckless Summon, allowing me to summon two more from my hand, deck or Graveyard!" Two more Assailants appeared. ((2000/2000)*3)

"I'll set two cards facedown, and end my turn there." Jaden finished.

"I draw." Shaun looked at his cards. "Hmm. I sacrifice my Spy to summon Gravekeeper's Chief!" The Chief appeared, leering at Jaden. (1900-2400/1200-1700) "Now, I'll use his effect to summon my Spy back from my Graveyard!"

"Hang on, Necrovalley's still in play!" Jaden protested. "You can't do that!"

"Can't he?" Misty spoke up. "Last I checked, Gravekeeper's Chief gives Shaun immunity to the Graveyard-blocking effects."

Jaden grumbled audibly at that. "Thanks for the morale boost, Misty."

"Stop grumbling, Jaden." Shaun said, smiling slightly. "Now then, five monsters, whatever will I do...Oh yes, I trigger my face-down Ceasefire, also chaining Guesswork. Guesswork allows me to name a monster, and summon each copy in your deck on your side of the field-if it's in your deck, that is. Only snag for you is, I gain 500 Life Points for each monster summoned if the summon goes through, but I lose 500 for each monster I have on the field if it doesn't." He seemed to concentrate harder than he already was at Jaden's deck, before smiling. "I pick Elemental Hero Knospe!"

The monster shot out of Jaden's deck, and appeared on the field. (600/1000)

Shaun: 4500 (Guesswork)  
Jaden: 3100

"Now, Ceasefire triggers, dealing you 500 damage for each Effect Monster in play-and I count seven!" Shaun finished, with a smile.

"But that's 3500 points!" Bastion sounded weak. "Is this guy unbeatable?"

"Seems like it." Alexis smiled.

Shaun: 4500  
Jaden: 0 (Ceasefire)

Shaun wins by shutout!

* * *

"And that's game!" Shaun shouted, with his trademark peace symbol. "Good one, Jaden."

"Maybe next time, I'll turn down the challenge." Jaden said, chuckling. "Well done, Shaun."

A microphone appeared in Shaun's hands. "Another great duel, from two great duellists. Wouldn't you agree, Duel Academy?" The crowd cheered. "This duel could have taken place anywhere on the island, though. I booked this arena because I wanted to make an announcement." Shaun turned to the crowd. "I've recently thought that duellists here deserve more worldwide recognition, so I've come up with a novel idea-the Duel Academy Challenge!"

"This sounds very exciting, I must say." Shaun turned to see Chancellor Sheppard walking into the arena. "Carry on, Shaun."

"Right, yes...ummm...Welcome back, Chancellor." Shaun stuttered, before continuing. "The Challenge is basically a giant tournament system, taking place across the entire island. There's only one difference to normal tournaments, however-you select when and where, or even if, you face your opponents, who you can pick, from a predetermined group. Each group will be drawn randomly, with no preference for the different dorms-so Obelisk Blues could be drawn with Slifer Reds, although with the skill I've seen in the Red dorm so far, that won't be a bad thing-for the Reds." He smiled, then continued. "Each of the eight groups will have two people only advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament. To advance, you must either have the best win/loss record of the group, or the highest sum of Life Points remaining in total after your duels, which is increased in the result of a win and decreased in the result of a loss-although," here he paused, for emphasis, "you must have battled in at least eight duels within your group for your scores to count towards qualifying. Each group will have roughly twenty duellists within it. And before anyone says that there aren't that many students, Chancellor Sheppard here has been helping me recruit a few pro duellists to join in the fun. Each group will have roughly fifteen students and five Pros-and each student must battle at least one Pro duellist within their group for their result to count." There was a collective gasp from the crowd. "Yes, I am VERY mean." Shaun smirked. "You can choose to opt-out of this tournament, if you wish. Just come and find me, and I'll cross your name off the list. You have until this time tomorrow to opt out, and the tournament draw will commence then. Good luck, everyone!" Shaun said, as he left the stage.

* * *

An afterthought occurred to him, and he turned back. "Oh, and as for the worldwide recognition-the duels will be recorded by hidden cameras-which you won't find, by the way-and broadcast worldwide!" The mood of the crowd seemed to change from anticipation to shock faster than the speed of light. "And if you make it to the final, you'll be on prime-time international TV! That's potentially half the world watching ya duel!" The crowd were stunned.

"How much has he spent on this tournament?" Craig asked, faintly.

"Probably a drop in the ocean, for him." Felicity managed, just as faintly. "But he must really love this school."

"One more thing!" Shaun shouted into the microphone, grabbing everyone's attention. "Remember the Grand Championship, ten years ago, where Yugi Muto duelled the winner of the Championship for the King of Games crown? Well, we have the King of Games flying in TONIGHT, to duel the overall winner of the Challenge for the same crown!" By the sounds of the crowd, and the look on Chancellor Sheppard's face, it was clear that no-one was expecting this.

"What do you mean, flying in tonight?" That voice caught the attention of everyone in the room, even without a microphone. "Looks like I'm here early."

Shaun turned, looking a bit rattled. "OK, there goes my careful planning. Looks like I'll have to wing it." The crowd laughed at that. "Ladies and gentlemen, the King of Games, Yugi Muto!" The crowd went wild as Yugi walked into the arena, smiling and waving. "Still as modest as ever, Yugi. Welcome to Duel Academy. I'd say you can sleep in the Obelisk Blue dorm, but someone seems to have made it the Obelisk White dorm."

"Actually, it's the dorm of the Society of Light!" Chazz strode into the arena. "And I take this opportunity to challenge Yugi Muto!" A gasp shot through the arena.

Yugi only smiled. "If you can win the Challenge, then I will duel you. But until then, I'm afraid you will have to wait."

"You can duel me instead." The voice came from Misty, who was standing next to Yugi. "I'd be happy to take him down."

"So confident, Misty." Shaun said, smiling, as Alexis joined him on stage. He hugged Alexis, then turned back to Chazz. "Chazz, are you alright to wait until tomorrow?"

"Of course." Chazz grinned. "The Light has waited thousands of years-another day won't make much difference." With that, he left, laughing wildly.

* * *

New Cards introduced this Chapter:

Guesswork  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: Name one Monster Card. If the named Monster Card is in your opponent's Deck, then they must Special Summon all copies of it in their Deck to the field, and you gain 500 Life Points for each Summoned monster. If the named Monster Card is not in your opponent's Deck, then you lose 500 Life Points for each Monster on your side of the field.

* * *

New OCs introduced this Chapter:

Misty Muto  
Uses a Spellcaster deck, based on surviving a duel until the big combos appear.  
Personality: Young, but smart and (mostly) self-assured. Gets nervous before big duels, although usually conquers those nerves before the game begins. Yearns to meet someone who won't compare her to her father-Yugi Muto, the King of Games.  
Kindred Spirit: White Magician Pikeru/Ebon Magician Curran (depends on her mood)

* * *

The next chapter will be "White Knight Strike".

Note: Did ya like the duel? Looks like Duel Academy has a new top duellist! I'm as shocked as you are, honestly-OK, so I'm not, but Jaden is still number two. This is one of three decks that Shaun will use-the second being his Machina deck, and the third being unrevealed as of yet.

Quick vote, by the way-do you think Chazz is overconfident, or just insane?

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	12. White Knight Strike: Misty vs Chazz!

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Fourteen! A bit of character development, and a healthy dose of duelling-just what the doctor ordered!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: White Knight Strike!

It was two o'clock in the morning, the morning after the Duel Academy Challenge had been announced, and Shaun was still awake, making the final preparations for the Duel Academy Challenge he had announced only a few hours ago. "Right, cameras 174 through 179 are active..." he murmured to himself. "Camera 180 is malfunctioning, I'd better go fix that..." He grabbed a clipboard that had appeared in front of him, scanning the list of things on it. "The competitors are all ready, no-one's pulled out of the tournament...Looks like we're almost ready. Just better go fix that camera." Suddenly, he heard sobs coming from somewhere near him. "Hello?" he called, as he followed the sobs.

Shaun traced the sobbing sound to someone crying in a gap between trees. He recognised the person immediately. "Misty?" he asked, softly. Misty looked up to see Shaun. "What's wrong, Misty?" Shaun asked.

Misty took a while to reply. "I...I can't do this."

"Do what?" Shaun queried.

"I can't duel Chazz." Misty sobbed. "I'm not good enough to duel him."

Shaun looked shocked. "Whoever told you that is lying to you, Misty." He sat next to her. "I've seen you duel before-you're an amazing duellist. And I'm not just saying that because of your father-you have a genuinely powerful deck, and you know how to use it."

Misty sobbed more. "Shaun, you know I'm crap at duelling. Don't try lying to make me feel better."

"Misty, you know as well as I do that I don't lie." Shaun sounded a bit annoyed now. "I know you can beat Chazz-and anyone else, for that matter. You just have to believe in yourself." Suddenly, a Duel Spirit appeared-Ebon Magician Curran. "Hello, Curran." Misty's head shot up, to see the Spirit turn to her.

"_Shaun's right, Misty._" Curran said, smiling. "_You have the skill to beat anyone-what's lacking is your confidence._"

Misty considered this, then smiled. "Maybe you're right, you two." Curran smiled, before disappearing, to be replaced by White Magician Pikeru. "I can do this, and I will beat him! I promise!"

"Good, Misty. That's the spirit!" Shaun looked at Pikeru. "No pun intended, of course." Everyone chuckled at that one. "You might want this, by the way." He handed Misty a card. She looked at it and was stunned.

"You're giving me this?" Misty was near-speechless. "It must have cost a fortune!"

"Actually, I won it." Shaun smiled. "You can use it better than I can. Now go get some sleep-you'll need it."

"I will Shaun-and thank you." Misty smiled, before running off to the Slifer dorm.

"_Misty needs to get some confidence in herself, I think._" Shaun thought, smiling. "_Aside from that, a great duellist, and a good person in general. Now, where's that camera I needed to fix..._" He disappeared from sight.

* * *

The next day, the duel arena was packed as Shaun walked in, microphone ready. "Greetings Duel Academy!" he shouted into the mic. The crowd cheered. "For the benefit of the Pros that have arrived, my name is Shaun Chandler, and I am the organiser of the Duel Academy Challenge!" More cheering. "Now, before the draw for the groups gets underway, I'd like to introduce a duel to liven things up a bit! This duel was actually the result of someone directly challenging Yugi Muto himself!" The crowd gasped. "That's right, someone here was either very brave or very stupid. Let's see if we can work it out, as here he is! Chazz Princeton!" The crowd was a mixture of cheering and jeering as Chazz walked into the arena, head high. "Yugi turned down the challenge, but someone else picked it up!" Shaun continued. "And Chazz might not know what he's let himself in for, as he's ended up challenging Yugi Muto's daughter! That's right, give a Duel Academy welcome to Misty Muto!" The crowd's cheers were a lot louder as Misty walked into the arena.

Shaun continued speaking once the crowd had died down. "This duel will serve as a welcome to the Challenge's rules. Each duellist in a match will begin with 8000 Life Points. One tribute is required for a 5 or 6 star monster, two tributes are required for a 7 or 8 star monster, and, if there are no special summoning requirements, three tributes are required for a 9 star or above monster. Fusion monsters are permitted to attack the turn they are Fusion Summoned, but if they are summoned without fusion, they are not permitted to attack during that turn." Shaun smiled, then continued. "One further rule, that will not apply to this duel, but will apply to all of the duels in the Challenge proper, is that all decks MUST conform to the current Advanced Format Forbidden and Limited list." This announcement seemed to shock the entire crowd-except the Pro duellists. Shaun continued. "This is to ensure that there are more exciting duels, and less one turn kills, as many of the cards currently Forbidden can cause those OTKs. Cards banned include Heavy Storm, Last Turn, both of the Envoy monsters, Crush Card Virus, and the most infamous Spirit Monster ever created. That's right, Yata-Garasu! A full list will be posted on the bulletin board with the draw results, after they have been made. Anyone not complying with this requirement will be disqualified from the tournament. Now, without further ado, let's get this duel started!" Shaun hopped off the stage, as the two duellists activated their disks.

* * *

DUEL!

Misty: 8000  
Chazz: 8000

"I'll start, I think." Misty drew her sixth card, then looked carefully at her hand. "I summon White Magician Pikeru, in Attack Mode!" The young magician appeared, smiling and spinning as she did. (1200/0) "Don't show off, Pikeru." Misty said, smiling. "_I'm sorry about this, but I promise you'll be back._" she thought. Pikeru nodded, and prepared herself. Useful ability, Kindred Spirits hearing their duellist's thoughts. "I set three cards facedown and end my turn."

"That's a turn?" Chazz sneered. "Let me show you what a turn REALLY is. Draw!" He smirked. "I play Foolish Burial, to send my White Knight Swordsman to the Graveyard!"

"Oh no..." Shaun said, worried. He'd put down the microphone, and it had promptly disappeared. "I wasn't expecting that."

"What's wrong with that, Shaun?" Alexis had sat next to him, and now had an arm around him.

"That Swordsman is annoying in the Graveyard." Shaun said, snuggling up to Alexis. "Notice that he hasn't summoned yet, Lexi."

"Next," Chazz said, still smirking. "I summon White Knight Lancer!" The new monster appeared, lance pointed at Pikeru. (1500/0) "And while my Swordsman is in the Graveyard, all White Knight monsters on the field gain 300 ATK!" (1500-1800/0) "Now, my Lancer, attack her pitiful magician!" The Lancer charged forward.

"Ouch. Bad move, Chazz." Shaun frowned. "For two reasons."

"PITIFUL?" Misty shrieked. "I'll show you pitiful! I activate Magical Dimension!" Chazz blanched at the sight of the card. "This lets me tribute my Pikeru to summon the Dark Magician!" The famous magician appeared, although this one seemed a lot less sinister than the one that attacked Shaun. Even so, Alexis could sense him starting to become fearful. (Dark Magician: 2500/2100)

Suddenly, Shaun heard a voice in his head. "_Do not worry, Shaun. The Dark Magician that attacked you was possessed by something we could not identify. He did not represent all of us. I'm truly sorry for what he did._"

In the same manner, Shaun replied. "_Don't worry about it. I knew he was possessed-I just didn't think that was possible. I think I see another possessed puppet across from you. Help release him._" The Dark Magician nodded, and turned to Chazz.

"Thanks to Magical Dimension, your Lancer is now destroyed!" Misty said, smiling, as the monster was destroyed.

"No!" Chazz shouted. "I activate White Knight Conscription!" The card, showing two White Knight Swordsmen dragging a person on the ground, appeared. "This card allows me to summon a White Knight from my deck with the same or lower level as one of your monsters! I pick White Knight Warrior!" The new White Knight appeared, staring at Misty with a cold stare. (2600/2300)

"Chazz, that monster is level 8." Shaun said. "Dark Magician is level 7."

"When summoned by White Knight Conscription, my monster becomes level 6." Chazz smirked. "Plus, when he's summoned, I get to attack with him instantly! White Knight Warrior, attack Dark Magician!"

"Please." Misty scoffed. "I activate Magic Cylinder! This card bounces your monster's ATK score as damage to you!"

Misty: 8000  
Chazz: 5400 (Magic Cylinder)

Despite the damage, Chazz grinned. "I activate the effect of my Luminos, Emissary of Light!"

"Damn." Shaun said, frowning. "Wasn't expecting that."

"This card can be Special Summoned, for free, when I take 2000 or more points of damage in a single turn." Chazz laughed, as the monster appeared on the field. (?/?)

"OK, indeterminate?" Misty was confused.

"My monster gains ATK and DEF equal to the damage I took this turn!" Everyone gasped as Chazz's monster glowed brighter and brighter. (?-2600/?-2600)

"I activate my other face-down!" Misty shouted. The card flipped face-up to reveal...

"NO!" Chazz screamed. "Not again!"

It was Pikeru's Curse. Misty smiled. "I take it by your expression that you know what this does. For the rest of you, here's the explanation. Pikeru's Curse can only activate when White Magician Pikeru is in the Graveyard-which she is. When it triggers, I must tribute one of my monsters with 2000 or more ATK, but every monster on your side of the field with more ATK is instantly removed from play!" She smiled, then continued. "As if that wasn't enough, you take damage equal to their combined ATK! Plus, you must give up your next turn!"

Misty: 8000  
Chazz: 200 (Pikeru's Curse.)

"When did she get that card?" Yugi, sitting close to Shaun and Alexis, looked confused.

"Misty was having a few confidence issues last night," Shaun said, smiling. "I gave her that to make this duel easier."

Alexis smiled. "Generous to a fault, Shaun, as usual." she said. Shaun just smiled hmself, as he kissed her on the cheek.

Despite his situation, Chazz started laughing maniacally. "Oh dear, this duel's not over. It's only just begun!"

"I don't like the tone of his voice..." Craig said uneasily, from a different part of the arena.

"You're not the only one, Craig." Bastion said. "He's lost 7800 points in one turn, as well as his most powerful monster. I can't see how this could be good for him."

"I activate the effect of another Emissary of Light!" The shock hit every person at once.

"He had ANOTHER one?" Shaun was stunned. "But that means..."

"I summon it to the field in Attack Mode, with 7800 points of ATK and DEF!" The monster Misty had just destroyed came back to the field, this time glowing a lot brighter. (?-7800/?-7800)

"Not good." Jaden looked stunned. "Thankfully, he can't attack this turn, as he loses the rest of it due to Pikeru's Curse-and the next one, too. Just one hit, and she's won."

"I end my turn." Chazz said.

"Finally. My turn. I draw." Misty said, causing a few chuckles. "Well well, this game's won. I summon Ebon Magician Curran in Attack Mode, then end my turn!" Gasps came from the crowd as the magician appeared. (1200/0)

"What's she playing at?" Jaden shouted. "That monster'll get massacred!"

Shaun just chuckled. "You forget that Chazz must skip his turn due to Pikeru's Curse, so this duel is in fact over." Mentally, he thought "_Looks like Misty has her own admirer._" Shaun chuckled at that thought, causing Alexis to look at him funnily. "I'll tell you later, Lexi."

"Due to your turn, being skipped, I'll draw!" Misty drew, then said "Thanks to Curran's ability, you now lose 300 life points for every monster on your side of the field-and you have one, so you lose your remaining life points!" The entire crowd, including Chazz, gasped.

Misty: 8000  
Chazz: 0 (Ebon Magician Curran)

Misty wins by shutout!

* * *

"No..." Chazz groaned. "How could I lose to a kid?"

"Misty is no "kid", Chazz." Shaun appeared in Chazz's field of vision. "She is a young lady who is extremely skilled at duelling. You could learn a thing or two from her."

"Me? Learn from a Slifer Red?" Chazz sneered. "Not gonna happen." He stood, and left, shouting as he left, "Soon you'll ALL see the Light! All of you!"

Shaun picked up another microphone. "Well, we all can see what happened there. Looks like Chazz has finally lost it." The crowd laughed. "While that duel was being played out, the group draws were being completed. And by happy coincidence, the opening duel was in fact a group match, so we'll add that to the list of results. It'll save Chazz some embarrassment, at least." A few people chuckled. "The draw has been posted on the Duel Academy website, as well as the main bulletin board outside this arena. The tournament officially begins at 9am tomorrow morning, so good luck to all of you!"

* * *

New Cards introduced this Chapter:

White Knight Conscription  
Counter Trap  
Card Text: You can only activate this card when your opponent destroys a "White Knight" monster on your side of the field while they control a monster. Special Summon 1 "White Knight" monster from your Deck with the same or lower Level as the monster on your opponent's side of the field with the highest Level. If "White Knight Warrior" is selected as the target of this card, "White Knight Warrior"'s Level is reduced to 6.

White Knight Warrior  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2600/2300  
LIGHT-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 8  
Card Text: This monster cannot be Summoned except by the effect of "White Knight Conscription", or by offering 1 Tribute while "The Society of Light" is in play. This monster cannot be destroyed, except by battle. When this monster is Summoned, you can declare an attack with it, even outside the Battle Phase.

Luminos, Emissary of Light  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: ?/?  
LIGHT-Attribute, Fairy-Type, Level 10  
Card Text: This monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This monster can only be Special Summoned from your hand, when you lose 2000 or more Life Points in one turn. This card's original ATK and DEF are each equal to the amount of damage you took in the turn in which you Summoned this card.

Pikeru's Curse  
Counter Trap  
Card Text: This card can only be activated if there is a "White Magician Pikeru" in your Graveyard. By Tributing 1 monster on your side of the field with 2000 ATK or more, remove from play all of your opponent's monsters with greater ATK than the Tributed monster. Your opponent takes damage equal to the combined total ATK of all monsters removed from play by this effect. Your opponent must skip their next turn.

* * *

The next chapter will be "The Tournament Begins!".

Note: Wow. Note to self-never insult Misty's monsters. Ever.

That said, Pikeru's Curse may be a little overpowered-so I've given it to the Forbidden List. That means it won't appear again-at least until the end of the challenge. That being said, Misty is by no means a one-trick duellist. So her battling in the future should be fun.

The same treatment has also gone to Luminos, Emissary of Light. After all, if you had three in your hand-which is unlikely, but still-that's three monsters with at LEAST 2000 ATK and DEF EACH. That's either an impeccable defence, or a crushing attack.

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

Oh, one more thing. I can't write past the Duel Academy Challenge until I have some OCs.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	13. The Tournament Begins!

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Fifteen! Our first look at a new main character in the story, and an appearance from one of Yugi Muto's more...shall we say, magical, opponents. No, it's not Shaun I mean!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter. I also own the details of the modified storyline.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: The Tournament Begins!

Shaun sat at a desk in the main building, his laptop running steadily as it processed the results of each of the matches being played. He could even watch the matches from the comfort of the desk he was sitting at, as the room he was in was outfitted with televisions, each showing the view from a different camera. The tournament had been running for three days now, and still showed great promise, with all of the eight groups having about ten duels left to play. Suddenly, an alarm shot up on Camera 47, which was currently showing a duel between a Ra Yellow and a Pro duellist. "Hmmm, looks like a banned card's been played." Shaun called up the duel on his laptop, and his eyes widened. "WHAT? That card shouldn't even have registered on the disk!" He stood, and spun as he disappeared from the room, teleporting to the scene of the duel.

* * *

The duellist facing the Pro, Maxwell Sheppard, was worried, although he didn't show it. He was ahead by 2500 Life Points, but he was facing the Mystical Beast of Serket, a very powerful monster that only got stronger with each monster it destroyed. In addition to that, he had no cards in his hand, and only one face-down that wouldn't help him. He had to end his turn. As the Pro duellist drew, smirking, a single sentence shattered his happy mood.

"Stop the duel."

Both duellists turned, shocked, to see Shaun standing nearby, a look of anger on his face.

"Pardon me, Shaun?" Maxwell asked.

Shaun smiled, the anger seeming to melt away. "Don't worry, Maxwell. The win goes to you by automatic disqualification of your opponent."

"WHAT?" The Pro screamed. "Why am I disqualified?"

"Temple of the Kings is forbidden in the Advanced format list." Shaun explained, turning to the Pro with the look of anger returning. "Therefore, when you started a duel with it in your deck, you automatically forfeited the duel, and also disqualified yourself from the tournament. Congratulations." Leaving the fuming Pro to his rage, Shaun motioned for Maxwell to follow him. "What happened there, Maxwell? I thought you'd have annihilated him before he bought Serket out."

Maxwell looked down at the ground. "His Temple let him stop all my cards with Traps he could use the turn he played them. He had Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to stop my attacks, and cards like Royal Decree to stop my Traps."

"And that's why the card was banned." Shaun mused. "Then again, so is Royal Decree. I'd hate to face that combo myself." He smiled at Maxwell. "Well, let's hope you make it through to the next round. I'd enjoy watching you duel."

"Thanks, Shaun." Maxwell smiled. "In fact, how about a friendly game right now?"

Shaun hesitated, before answering. "I'd like to, Maxwell, but I've got to keep an eye on the tournament, to make sure no-one else uses banned cards. It's a hard job, but someone's got to do it." He smiled, then continued. "Plus I said I'd meet Alexis in a few minutes, so I've gotta dash." Maxwell suddenly turned sour after he had said that.

"OK then, Shaun, another time." Maxwell walked off, grumbling.

"_What's up with him all of a sudden?_" Shaun thought, as he walked back to the main building. "_All I did was mention Lexi..._" He realised something suddenly, and frowned. "_Hmmm. That could be problematic if he makes it to duel her. Still, at least now I know what's up._" Suddenly, a klaxon sounded three times-the signal for the day's duelling to cease. The signal did not mean that any duels at the time of the klaxon would stop-it merely meant that no more duels started that day would count towards the Challenge scores.

* * *

He saw Alexis near the front doors of the Academy, still in a Duel with another Pro, the one known as Arkana. Alexis saw Shaun, and waved, smiling. Shaun waved back, then surveyed the duelling field.

DUEL IN PROGRESS!

Alexis: 2600  
Arkana: 1750

Alexis had Cyber Blader on the field, at double ATK (4200/800) and two face-down cards. Arkana, on the other hand, had two Dark Magicians in play ((2500-3300/2100)*2), a Dark Aura card active (Dark Aura: All DARK-Attribute monsters on your side of the field gain 800 ATK, and cannot be destroyed in battle. Any battle damage caused to you in battle with a DARK-Attribute monster is halved, with your opponent taking the same battle damage as you do.) and one face-down card.

Alexis drew, for her turn to begin. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your face-down card!" The card raised, revealing a Skill Drain, before being destroyed. "A clever move. Next, I activate Doble Passe, chaining Forced Strike from my hand!" The two cards appeared. "Forced Strike forces one of your monsters to do battle with one of mine this turn, so Dark Magician will attack me directly due to Doble Passe!"

"Lexi, that's a draw scenario!" Shaun shouted.

"Calm down, Shaun." Alexis said, smiling. "I'm not done yet. I have one face-down left-and it's Spirit Barrier!"

"Oh no you don't." Arkana smiled. "I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit, paying 1000 Points to negate your Barrier!"

"Not quite, Arkana, but nice try." Alexis smiled her most beautiful smile, reminding Shaun of just one of the reasons he loved her so much. "I discard Trap Fixer to negate your Seven Tools! So I win!" The Dark Magician struck Alexis directly, causing her to cry in pain, despite the monster being just a hologram.

"Alexis!" Shaun cried out, in distress at seeing his girlfriend hurt, even if it was imaginary.

Alexis: 2600 (3000 damage blocked by Spirit Barrier)  
Arkana: 750 (Cost of Seven Tools of The Bandit)

"Now, Cyber Blader, attack him directly for the game!" Alexis cried, as Cyber Blader kicked Arkana in the face.

Alexis: 2600  
Arkana: 0 (Cyber Blader's direct attack)

Alexis wins!

* * *

"Well done, Lexi!" Shaun shouted, grabbing Alexis in a hug, which she gladly returned. "I knew you'd do it." His PDA beeped, as the result of the duel came in. He released Alexis from the hug, and the two of them looked through the results of the day's duelling. "Hmm, looks like the Pros are taking a bit of a beating at the moment." Shaun said, frowning. "I wanted a few Pros to make it through the groups, at least, but so far I can only identify one that's guaranteed entrance to Round 2."

"What's this about a Pro being disqualified?" Alexis asked, pointing at the duel Shaun had cancelled.

"Oh yes, a duellist used Temple of the Kings." Shaun said. Alexis gasped. "Yeah, there's always one that thinks they can get away with it. Thankfully, I managed to stop the duel before the guy won." He smiled. "It's a shame, really-the kid I saved from the Mythical Beast of Serket was winning, too."

"'Maxwell Sheppard'." Alexis read. "Well well, the Random Reveller. You might want to go tell his dad, the Chancellor."

"Wait-his dad's Chancellor Sheppard?" Shaun asked. "That makes sense, I guess." He smiled. "He's a nice enough kid, he just seemed a bit annoyed when I mentioned something."

"What was it, Shaun?" Alexis asked, moving closer to him.

"Sorry, Lexi." Shaun smirked, as he kissed her on the cheek. "Maybe not the best thing to mention." Alexis frowned, then smiled, letting it drop. "Now, how's about grabbing a bite to eat? I hear the Obelisk Blue restaurant is doing a rather nice spaghetti dish today." She smiled at him as they headed to the restaurant, arm in arm, talking to themselves-until...

"Shaun!" The couple turned, to see Maxwell storming towards them.

"_Oh boy. Looks like he's back._" Shaun thought. Out loud, smiling, he said "Hello Maxwell. What can I help you with?"

"How about that duel you wanted so badly?" Maxwell said, rather angrily.

"Calm down and I might consider it." Shaun said, losing the smile. "And wasn't it you who asked for a duel earlier?"

"Oh...oh yeah." Maxwell said, turning red, before breathing deeply for a while. Soon, he said "OK, I'm calmer, sorry about that. Let's duel."

* * *

New Cards introduced this Chapter:

Dark Aura  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: All DARK-Attribute monsters on your side of the field gain 800 ATK, and cannot be destroyed in battle. Any battle damage caused in battle with a DARK-Attribute monster is halved, with your opponent taking the same battle damage as you do.

Trap Fixer  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by discarding it from your hand, when your opponent activates a Trap Card. Any Trap Cards your opponent controls have their effect negated for the rest of the turn. In addition, while this card is in the Graveyard, after being sent there by its own effect, the owner of this card may activate Trap Cards from their hand.

Forced Strike  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: Select 1 monster on each side of the field. During this Battle Phase, these monsters must battle each other.

* * *

New OCs introduced this Chapter:

Maxwell Sheppard  
Uses a deck of random cards, based on summoning powerful monsters to storm his opponents.  
Personality: A friendly person, who can be a bit annoying at times, but will always apologise if he goes too far.  
Kindred Spirit: UFORoid

* * *

The next chapter will be "Love Is In The Air"

Note: Yes, Arkana, the Shadow duellist from previously, has reappeared! Simple explanation-when Yami Marik was defeated, all the duellists he brainwashed returned-even those in the Shadow Realm.

Otherwise, it looks like a big duel coming up between Maxwell and Shaun. I wonder how Maxwell will do against the unbeaten Machina Kid.

Also, the next chapter may be a bit short. I apologise for that.

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

Oh, one more thing. I can't write past the Duel Academy Challenge until I have some OCs.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character):

Any other details that need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	14. Love is in the Air!

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Sixteen! Maxwell vs Shaun, and a little surprise later on...

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Love Is In The Air

DUEL!

Shaun: 4000  
Maxwell: 4000

"I'll start, since I'm the challenger." Maxwell drew, surveying his cards. "I summon Queen's Knight, in Attack!" The lady knight appeared, sword and shield in hand. (1500/1600) "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Draw, then." Shaun said. He had chosen his Machina deck for this duel, and he could capitalize on that decision straight away, due to his starting hand. "I summon Machina Soldier in Attack!" The robotic soldier appeared, staring Queen's Knight down. (1600/1500) "When he's summoned on his own, he can bring one of his Machina friends to the field with him. So I'll pick Machina Sniper!" The sniper appeared, armed and ready. (1800/800) "Next, I'll play Machina Factory, giving both of my monsters 300 extra attack!" (Soldier: (1600-1900/1500) Sniper: (1800-2100/800).) Now, since Heavy Storm is Forbidden, I have to compromise, so I'll play Machina Blast. This card allows me to destroy one card on the field for each Machina monster on the field, if I pay 500 Life Points. So I'll use my card to destroy your face-downs!"

Shaun: 3500 (Machina Blast)  
Maxwell: 4000

The two face-down cards were destroyed, revealing before they went a Dark Coffin and a Forbidden Blast.

"My two face-down cards activate when they're destroyed." Maxwell replied to Shaun, smirking. "Forbidden Blast reduces your Life Points by a further 500 points for each card on your side of the field. Since you have three, that's 1500 points."

Shaun: 2000 (Forbidden Blast.)  
Maxwell: 4000

Alexis smiled. "Impressive, Maxwell."

Maxwell blushed. "Well, thank you Alexis." Alexis didn't seem to notice Maxwell blushing-but Shaun did.

"And Dark Coffin forces me to discard a card from my hand, which I will do now." Shaun said, smiling. "_So I was right, Maxwell. You fancy my girlfriend._" Out loud, smirking now: "I'll attack your Knight with Machina Sniper, while Soldier attacks you directly."

Shaun: 2000  
Maxwell: 2100 (Attacks-300 from Sniper and 1600 from Soldier.)

"I'll play a face-down and end my turn." Shaun said. He then noticed that Maxwell was staring into space, glancing at Alexis now and again. "Earth to Maxwell? Come in Maxwell."

"Oh..oh...sorry, Shaun." Maxwell said, blushing again, as he drew. Shaun just chuckled. "I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my Queen's Knight!" The female knight reappeared on the field.

"I thought Monster Reborn was Forbidden." Alexis frowned.

"It came off the Forbidden list during the last revision, Lexi." Shaun smiled at Alexis. "It's now Limited."

"It's useful, as well." Maxwell smiled. "Next, I summon King's Knight, in Attack!" A male knight, similar to the knight already in play, appeared. (1600/1400) "Since King's Knight was summoned while Queen's Knight is in play, Jack's Knight joins them!" A taller, more powerful male knight appeared. (1900/1000) "Now that all three knights are in play, I can activate Knight's Honour, allowing them to work together to attack one of your monsters, with their combined stats! I select your Machina Sniper, as that's the only monster I can attack, so Knights, do your worst!" The three Knights shot forwards together, shooting towards Machina Sniper.

"Hmmm, Knight's Honour, haven't seen that play in a while." Shaun mused. "Fine, I trigger this-Machina Disruption. This allows me to tribute a monster, and deal its entire ATK score as damage to you. And since Machina Sniper has 2100 ATK, and you have 2100 Life Points, then..."

Maxwell stood stunned as the blast from the Disruption card reduced his Life Points to 0.

Shaun: 2000  
Maxwell: 0 (Machina Disruption.)

Shaun wins!

* * *

"A good duel, Maxwell." Shaun said. "Before you go, can I talk to you for a moment?" A worried look flashed on Maxwell's face. "Nothing bad, I promise-just wanted to ask you something."

"You want me to stay, Shaun?" Alexis asked, looking concerned.

"No no, Lexi." Shaun smiled. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Once Alexis had gone, Shaun turned to Maxwell, who was still watching her leave. "You like her, don't you?"

Maxwell, startled, spun to face Shaun. "What makes you think I do?"

"Maxwell, please don't." Shaun looked hurt. "No offence, mate, but I'm not exactly stupid."

Maxwell sighed. "Alright, I do. Happy?" He stalked off, but Shaun caught his shoulder and spun Maxwell to face him. Maxwell started to shout now. "Why do you care, Shaun? You've got her-you're the lucky one. I'm the one that has to live with you two being together, dreaming that I was in your shoes."

"I'm sorry, Maxwell." Shaun said. "But I can't change how we feel. You know how that feels, don't you?" Maxwell just nodded. "Listen, mate. You'll find someone right for you one day-I know it."

"Yeah...maybe you're right." Maxwell said hesitantly. "Thanks, Shaun."

"Don't worry about it." Shaun said, smiling. "I'd better go and catch Lexi before she starts wondering where I've gotten to." He chuckled. "Maybe it's a good thing I'm so patient and tolerant, eh?" Maxwell chuckled too. "Seriously, though, you'll find someone." He rested his hand on Maxwell's shoulder for a moment, then ran off.

Maxwell smiled after Shaun. "_He's right. I shouldn't be obsessed with one girl. I'll find someone soon-hopefully._" He sighed. "_I still love her, though. And I know he knows that._"

"You know who knows what?" The voice behind him made Maxwell jump. He spun to see Felicity Kaiba-only he didn't know who it was. All he thought was that she was very pretty.

"Two questions, ma'am," he said. "Who are you, and how did you know what I was thinking?"  
She only smiled. "My name is Felicity Kaiba, and I've always been able to hear what people think." She chuckled, and moved closer to him. "Besides, I heard your conversation with Shaun."

"Ah." Maxwell seemed a bit upset by that. He sat on a bench nearby, and Felicity sat next to him. "It's so difficult to see him with her everyday, thinking 'Why can't that be me?'"

Felicity put an arm around him. "Don't worry about it, Maxwell. I'm not gonna lie-I really like Shaun, and it really hurts to see them together for me too." She snuggled up to him. "Shaun was right, though-we have to find someone else."

Maxwell turned to face Felicity, smiling. "Are you thinking what I think you are?" he said.

She chuckled. "Does this answer your question?" She leaned in and kissed him. She saw him smile at her and laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

Maxwell hugged the young Obelisk, smiling from ear to ear. "And we've only just met, too." Felicity laughed along with Maxwell. "One thing confuses me, though, Felicity." Felicity moved back slightly, looking at him questioningly. "How can you hear other people's thoughts?"

Felicity smiled at that question. "Shall we get something to eat?" She raised her hand, and Maxwell took it, smiling too. "I'll tell you as we eat." Hand in hand, they walked on to the Ra Yellow canteen, talking quietly between themselves, and becoming closer and closer.

* * *

New Cards introduced this Chapter:

Forbidden Blast  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: When this face-down card on the field is removed from the field, inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent for each card they control, up to a maximum of 3000 points of damage.

Knight's Honour  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated when "Queen's Knight", "King's Knight" and "Jack's Knight" are face-up on your side of the field. During this Battle Phase, these monsters cannot attack, but you can attack one monster on your opponent's side of the field with their combined ATK score. If the chosen monster is in Defence Position, inflict damage to your opponent equal to the difference between the combined ATK of the three Knights and the DEF of the attacked monster. This attack cannot be negated.

Machina Disruption

Quick-Play Spell

Card Text: Tribute one face-up "Machina" monster you control. Inflict its ATK score as damage to your opponent.

* * *

The next chapter will be "The Truth Of The Matter"

Note: Well, Maxwell might not have won the duel, but it seems he's found love. How sweet. Strange as it may seem, this will turn out to be very important later on.

In other news, the chapter names will soon be getting more vague as to the content of the chapter-so good luck working it out :P

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

Oh, one more thing. I can't write past the Duel Academy Challenge until I have some OCs.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character-"None" is not an option.):

Any other details that need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	15. The Truth of the Matter

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Seventeen!

Before I start, a few notes. I appreciate that the duels thus far have been quite short. My intention was not to have long, drawn-out duels-after all, if I did that, you'd end up with roughly 10,000 word chapters each time-or duels lasting about three chapters each. After all, I do end up over-extending sometimes. However, I will be the first to admit that the duels haven't been quite as brilliant as I could have hoped for. Looks like I went the other way and under-extended. As such, the duels coming in later chapters will be longer-and, hopefully, more epic. This chapter's duel does not apply, as it will count as the last of the 4000-point duels.

**Disclaimer: **Seriously, every chapter? *sigh* OK, fine. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX, or any characters originating from there. I also don't own the rights to any Yu-Gi-Oh cards.

**Claimer: **I own the OCs that I have created and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter. Any OCs that have been created by other people will also be credited, and belong to their creators.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: The Truth Of The Matter

"So let me get this straight." Maxwell leaned forwards, over the table which him and his new girlfriend were eating at, two days after they had gotten together. "You're telling me that you have magical powers, but you didn't know for sure until Shaun told you that you did."

"Yep." Maxwell's girlfriend, Felicity, leaned forward too. "I didn't understand it myself when he first told me, but he explained it all to me, and told me only to tell those I could trust." She kissed Maxwell lightly. "And I can trust you, right?" she said, with a sweet smile.

Maxwell stood, and walked around the table to sit next to Felicity. "Of course, hun." He hugged her closely-a hug which she returned. "You can trust me with anything. You know that, don't you?" he said, smiling.

"I know, Maxie." Felicity said, smiling. She kissed him on the cheek. "Come on, let's go for a walk before bedtime." They rose from the table, but were intercepted before they could leave the canteen.

"Ah, more people to see the Light." The voice sent shivers down both of the new couple's spines.

"Who are you?" the Obelisk asked, angrily. Maxwell sensed her anger, and tried to calm her down. Unsuccessfully.

"Me?" The new appearance shrugged. "You can call me the Soldier of Light."

"OK then, 'Soldier'," Felicity said, "I'm guessing you're a duellist. Duel me, if you're so set on a duel."

"Felicity..." Maxwell's voice drew Felicity's angry gaze from the 'Soldier'. "If you're going to duel this guy, please be careful." He pulled her in for a kiss, which she eagerly returned.

"Don't worry about me, Maxwell." Felicity whispered, smiling, once they had broken apart from the kiss. "I'll beat this guy into next week."

"Just be careful, Felicity." Maxwell urged. "Something seems wrong about this guy."

Felicity lost her smile. "You feel it too?" Maxwell nodded. "Well, I'll be careful. I promise." Her smile returned. "I love you, you know."

Maxwell smiled back at her, releasing her from his hug, so that she could get ready to duel. "I love you too, Felicity. Now go get him!" She smiled, then turned to face the Soldier, as they drew their starting hands.

* * *

DUEL!

Soldier of Light: 4000  
Felicity: 4000

"I'll begin." The Soldier drew a card. "Hmm. I start with the field spell The Society of Light!" A beam of light shot down from the sky, concealing the duel from everyone else.

"Felicity!" Maxwell shouted, running forward. Suddenly, he collided with an invisible wall and was bounced back. Suddenly, Shaun and Alexis appeared from nowhere next to him.

"Are you OK, Maxwell?" Shaun asked, concern in his voice.

"Not that it matters, but yeah, I'm fine." Maxwell said, on the verge of tears. "But Felicity's in there." A sob came from Maxwell. Shaun gave him an understanding look, before standing and muttering for a few moments. Suddenly, the invisible wall seemed to vanish. "Stay here, Lexi. It might be unsafe." Shaun picked Maxwell up and strode into the light beam with him in tow.

"Oh no you don't, Shaun." Alexis muttered, before jumping through into the light, just before the invisible wall reappeared.

* * *

"What have you done?" Felicity sounded worried and angry at once-not a good combination at the best of times. "Where's everyone gone? Where's Maxwell?"

"I've simply made our duel a bit more private." The Soldier seemed a bit saddened at her anger. "Do not be angry-this is for the best." He continued with his move. "I summon Defender of Light, in Defence Position." The monster appeared, glowing. (600-1100/1700-2200)

"You can't summon a monster in face-up Defence!" came an indignant shout.

Felicity knew that voice. "Maxwell!" she squealed happily.

"Felicity!" Maxwell shouted, just as happily. Shaun appeared next to him.

"Are you OK, Felicity?" Shaun said, concern in his voice.

Felicity nodded, pointing to the Soldier. "He won't be, though."

"I see your friends have come to save you." The Soldier said, drolly. "It's not as if they can help you, though. And to answer your query, my field spell makes the choices for summoning face-up Attack or face-up Defence, as well as giving all LIGHT monsters 500 ATK and DEF. Plus, when my Defender of Light is summoned in face-up Defence, I gain 1000 Life Points.

Soldier: 5000 (Defender of Light)  
Felicity: 4000

Shaun's eyes narrowed at the Soldier. "Solaris. I might have known you'd ally yourself with the light."

"How could I not, when it saved me from oblivion?" the Soldier spat. "Which is more than you could do, Shaun."

"Fill us in later, Shaun." Felicity said, seeing Shaun seethe. "_I don't think him angry will help matters._" Out loud: "It's my turn, as his Defender forces him to end his turn."

"Correct, young lady." Solaris said.

"My turn, then." Felicity drew. "I activate MY field spell, Zombie World!" The beam of light lessened, but did not vanish, as the Zombie World appeared around them. "Why hasn't the other field spell gone yet?"

"When another field spell is played, my Society of Light spell becomes a Continuous Spell instead." Solaris explained.

Shaun's eyes widened. "Wait-THAT'S the old field spell?" He studied the card for a moment, then suddenly cursed. "Felicity, I don't care HOW you do it, DESTROY THAT SPELL!" Alexis suddenly appeared next to him, grabbing his arm. Shaun spun to face her. "Alexis! I said stay behind!"

"No!" The angry, protective tone of Alexis' voice shocked everyone, not least Shaun. "I told you, Shaun, I'm here for you, no matter what happens."

"Lexi..." Shaun was at a loss for words. "I just wanted to protect you..."

"I know, Shaun." Alexis stroked Shaun's face, calming down. "I couldn't bear to be left behind, though, having to worry if you're all right." She looked past Shaun. "And by the looks of things, Maxwell knows what I'm talking about."

"I couldn't leave Felicity behind anywhere." Maxwell stated, looking straight at the aforementioned person. "I love you, Felicity."

Felicity only smiled. "I love you too, Maxie." She turned to Solaris. "And that's why I can't lose."

"I understand." Solaris stated. "I'm afraid I'll be disappointing you, though. While my Society of Light is a Continuous Spell, you can't summon anything but LIGHT-Attribute monsters. Oh, and it can't be targeted for destruction by an effect."

"Damn you!" Felicity shouted. "I activate Harpie's Feather Duster! This destroys all of your Spell or Trap cards-and as it doesn't specifically target, I can destroy it without your card's effect kicking in!"

"Well done." Solaris stated, as the card was destroyed. "Due to my card's effect, all of my LIGHT-Attribute monsters are destroyed." Everyone winced as the blast obliterated the Defender-and blasted apart the beam of light, returning all of them to the Ra Yellow cafeteria.

"I'm glad to be out of that." Even Shaun seemed relieved. "You don't want to know how powerful that card was-and I don't just mean within the game."

"Time to finish you, Solaris!" Felicity shouted. "I activate Call of the Mummy! This lets me Special Summon one Zombie once per turn, without Tributes! I select Vampire Lord!" The vampire appeared, in a veil of darkness. (2000/1500) "Now, I remove him from play to summon Vampire Genesis!" The vampire mutated into a darker, bigger form. (3000/2100) "Next, I play Graceful Charity, drawing three new cards, as long as I can discard two afterwards." Felicity drew her three cards, with her eyes lighting up once she saw the cards she drew, placing all three of them in the Graveyard. "I discard Despair from the Dark using Vampire Genesis' effect to summon Patrician of Darkness-which I discarded with Graceful charity-back from the Graveyard!" The blue demon appeared, grinning at Solaris. (2000/1400)

"_It's been so long since I've been in play!_" the demon said happily. He then noticed the opponent's field. "_Oh come on, no monsters? That's hardly fair! Stop being so cruel on the poor guy!_"

"Shush, Pat." Felicity smiled. Maxwell chuckled, which Felicity loved. "Let's just take this fool down. Double Direct Attack, my Zombies!"

"_Sorry bud, but orders are orders._" Pat said, smirking as he launched his attack, together with Vampire Genesis. Solaris just looked stunned as the two blows struck.

Solaris: 0 (Double Direct attack from Patrician of Darkness and Vampire Genesis.)  
Felicity: 4000

Felicity wins by shutout!

* * *

"You did it, Felicity!" Maxwell shouted, as he dived on Felicity, hugging her tightly. Felicity returned the hug, then kissed him on the cheek.

"Was there ever any doubt, Maxie?" Felicity said, smiling.

"OK, loving moment aside, where did Solaris go?" interrupted Alexis, frowning. It looked like Solaris had vanished.

"He'll be back, and even more powerful than before." Shaun said, sounding upset. He brightened up. "But we can fight him off. I know it."

"How do you know him anyway, Shaun?" Maxwell asked, his arm around Felicity.

Shaun hesitated. "I fought him a long time ago. I beat him every time. That's why he's probably gunning for revenge." He hesitated. "That field spell, though. That's the mystery." He looked worried. "I've fought many warriors of the Light of Destruction, but that's the first time I've seen that card. Its effects are more than just within the game, though. If Felicity had lost, the Society of Light would have gained a new servant."

"WHAT?" Felicity, Maxwell and Alexis all shouted. "How?"

"I don't know." No-one had ever seen Shaun so worried, nervous or upset. He seemed to be all three now, though. "That's the worst thing-if I knew, I could counter it with magic of my own."

"Wait, so you're a magic user too?" Maxwell queried. Shaun turned towards Felicity with a questioning look.

"OK, I had to tell him about me." Felicity explained, sounding only slightly penitent. "After all, if I hadn't seen his thoughts, I wouldn't be with him now." She turned to Maxwell. "I thought I mentioned that earlier, though. Slow on the uptake much?" That was said in a joking tone.

Shaun sighed. "Well, at least we can all trust him. Yes, Maxwell, I am." Maxwell's eyes widened. "Now, I don't know about you lot, but I have a tournament to run-and you have a tournament to compete in. It's the last day of the first round tomorrow, too-so get some sleep, then get those last few matches in. I'm going to go disable the cameras until tomorrow." With that, Shaun disappeared, but not before giving Alexis a long, passionate kiss.

"...I love how he does that." Alexis sighed happily, as she walked off towards the Obelisk Blue girls dorm.

Maxwell looked at Felicity. "They really are in love, aren't they?" A thought occurred to him. "Then again, so are we." He kissed Felicity-and she returned it.

"I guess we are, Maxie." Felicity smiled. "Well, we're in separate dorms, so we're going to have to split up." She hugged Maxwell. "Try to stay out of trouble, hun. Love you!" she said, running off.

"Love you too!" Maxwell shouted back, as he went to get some sleep.

* * *

New Cards introduced this Chapter:

Society of Light  
Field Spell  
Card Text: When this card is destroyed by a card effect, or by another Field Spell being played, you can play this card in one of your Spell/Trap Card Zones, as a Continuous Spell. This card gains abilities according to its location on the field.  
- Any Zone: All LIGHT-Attribute monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF.  
- Field Spell Zone: All monsters that would be Set are instead Normal Summoned in face-up Defence Position. All monsters summoned in this way have their Flip Effects activated immediately.  
- Spell/Trap Card Zone: Only LIGHT-Attribute monsters can be summoned. This card cannot be targeted by any effect that would destroy it. When this card is destroyed, destroy all LIGHT-Attribute monsters on the field.

Defender of Light  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 600/1700  
LIGHT-Attribute, Warrior-Type, 4 Stars  
Card Text: When this monster is summoned in face-up Defence Position during your turn, gain 1000 Life Points. It is now the End Phase of this turn.

* * *

The next chapter will be "Final Bond"

Note: Felicity seems to like OTK duels. Don't worry too much, though-I promise that the duel in this chapter will be the final duel decided by a single turn of action.

In other news, the next chapter features perhaps the least unexpected event of the lot. No, there are no deaths in this story. No, it's not a saddening event. What do you think it will be? :P

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

I need two more Society of Light members, and three more Shadow Knights.

Oh, one more thing. I can't write past the Duel Academy Challenge until I have some OCs. That gives you around ten chapters, give or take.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! After all, the reviews make the story what it is! Next chapter soon!


	16. Final Bond

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Eighteen! I'm saying nothing about this one...Yet.

**Disclaimer: **I'm not even vaguely related to anyone that owns Yu-Gi-Oh GX, or any characters originating from there. I'm not Kazuki Takahashi, either, so the rights to the actual Yu-Gi-Oh cards aren't mine. No, really.

**Claimer: **I own the OCs that I have created and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter. Any OCs that have been created by other people will also be credited, and belong to their creators.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Final Bond  
(Told from Shaun's perspective.)

The final day of the Duel Academy Challenge is almost over. Most of the groups have completed all their matches, and fifteen qualifiers are assured, no matter the result of this last duel. I'm watching from the sidelines for this one, instead of the Challenge HQ I set up, for two reasons. One is because the winner of this match takes the last spot in the knockout rounds of the tournament-and the other is because Lexi is duelling. What a duellist to play, though-she had the luck to be drawn against one of my least favourite pros, the one who calls himself The Ruler. You get one guess what kind of cards he uses.

DUEL IN PROGRESS!

Alexis: 4600  
The Ruler: 6000

Alexis has Cyber Blader on the field (2100/800), two face-down cards, and the field spell Cyber Reunion in play (Cyber Reunion: All "Cyber" monsters gain 400 ATK, and cannot be destroyed in battle. In addition, the controller of this card can negate any ability targeting a "Cyber" monster on the field by discarding one card from their hand. If the card discarded is a "Cyber" monster, inflict damage on your opponent equal to half its combined ATK and DEF.) She also has two cards in her hand.

The Ruler has Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch (2400/1000) on the field in Attack, together with three face-down cards, and one card in his hand.

"Thestalos, attack her Cyber Blader!" The Ruler shouted, as the Monarch blasted the Cyber Blader. "Yes, I know your Blader can't be destroyed in battle now-that was just to deal damage."

Alexis: 4300 (Battle damage-300 from Thestalos.)  
The Ruler: 6000

"I activate my face-down card!" Lexi shouted, after the damage had gone through. "It's Cyber Cannon!" The metallic cannon appeared. "Now, during the end of your Battle Phase, I can Tribute my monster to deduct its ATK score from your Life Points. And I activate Forgiving Charity, giving you a Forgiving Token!" The small white sphere appeared on The Ruler's side of the field. (Token: 300/300, Defence Position.) When it appeared, Cyber Blader became a lot more powerful. (Blader: 2100-4200/800) "Now, Blader, blast him!" The Blader turned into a beam of light, striking The Ruler directly. That must have hurt.

Alexis: 4300  
The Ruler: 1200 (Cyber Cannon's effect.)

"Grrr." The Ruler looked agitated now. "I end my turn."

"Draw!" Lexi drew another card, beaming once she saw it. "Time for you to see what my boyfriend gave me! I activate Turn Back Time!" The field seemed to start travelling backwards.

"Hehehe." I chuckled. "Well done, Lexi-you know what to know now."

The Ruler focused on me. "YOU'RE this girl's boyfriend?" He laughed out loud. "Well, I guess some people get incredibly lucky. Either that, or you managed to trick her well."

My gaze turned dark. Lexi looked at me and realised how angry I was getting, as she seemed to become very scared. I didn't notice that-or know about it until later. I can put up with people insulting me-but NEVER Lex. "Lexi, do me a favour and beat this pathetic excuse for a waste of space into next year." The crowd gasped-they'd never heard me that angry before, I guess.

"My pleasure, hun." Lexi was now angry herself. She turned back to The Ruler, eyes narrowing. "You made a huge mistake, insulting him." Her voice was low and controlled, but I could see the anger behind her eyes-and knew that The Ruler was in trouble now. "You're lucky he's not duelling you-you'd probably be dead by the end of it."

The Ruler laughed at that. "Dead? What is he, a Shadow Rider?" The crowd looked surprised that The Ruler knew about the Shadow Riders. I wasn't-he had been one.

"Nope." Lexi smiled. "But after he'd finished with you, you'd wish he was. But no matter. Turn Back Time lets me summon a monster removed from my side of the field in the last turn-but at the cost of letting you do the same. Unfortunately, you have none you CAN summon, so I'll pick my Cyber Blader, while you can't do a thing." Cyber Blader reappeared, looking very fierce now. (4200/800)

The Rider was worried now-he'd done the maths. "I activate-"

"Nothing. I activate Cyber Cannon's second effect, destroying it to destroy all of your Spell and Trap cards." Lexi was determined now. "Now, Cyber Blader, attack! Finish him-painfully!" The Blader shot forward, blasting through the Monarch to strike The Rider. Full force. He screamed in pain as the attack hit-although that was probably from my Lividius Spell. His own fault, really.

Alexis: 4300  
The Ruler: 0 (Cyber Blader's attack.)

Alexis wins!

* * *

I spoke into the intercom system, via the PDA I always carried. "Round One of the Duel Academy Challenge is now over. The second round pairings will be announced later today. A list of the sixteen qualifiers is being posted on the Duel Academy website as we speak, as well as all school bulletin boards. Good luck to all finalists." I turned to Lexi, who had moved next to me. "What a jerk. Well, he's out of here now, so good riddance to him."

Lexi seemed happy at that. "You seemed very angry when he said what he did." She said. In a lower voice, less happy, she whispered "I was really scared then..."  
I stopped, in shock, turning to Lexi. "I scared you?" Lexi nodded. I felt terrible then. "Oh heck...I'm so sorry, Lexi." A tear rolled down my face, as I cupped her face in my hand. "I just lost control then-it's not always easy to keep my anger under check."

"I understand, Shaun." Those words were the best I'd heard in a long time. I looked into Lexi's eyes, seeing her understanding and love within them. For the first time since I'd come to Duel Academy, I felt that things were perfect. Lexi continued. "Shaun, I love you. I'd understand just about anything you said or did." Once she said that, I knew it was the time to ask her what I'd been waiting to say for three long years. Time for lots of hope.

"Lexi..." I hesitated. Lexi looked at me, with a wondering look. "You're the most perfect person I know. You're loving, you're beautiful, you're intelligent, you're understanding...So this is the easiest question of my life." I knelt down, pulling a ring box from my pocket. Alexis' eyes widened in shock. "Alexis Rhodes...will you marry me?"

Lexi was speechless. "You...you really...want me...to marry you?"

"Well, Lexi, I wouldn't be asking if I didn't." I smiled. "So?"

Lexi picked me up off the ground, beaming from ear to ear, pulling me into a long kiss. "Oh Shaun, of course I will!" She took the ring box then, and opened it. She gasped at the ring. "It's beautiful, Shaun!"

"It is, isn't it?" I asked, smiling. "I thought of you the second I saw it."

"Awww." Lexi put the ring on her finger. "It fits perfectly, too. I can't wait till the wedding now."

"Yeah, well." I said, chuckling. "Let's plan it first, yeah? And maybe we should go and announce this."

"Good idea, hun." Lexi said, smiling, as we walked back to the main building, arm in arm.

* * *

New Cards introduced this Chapter:

Cyber Cannon  
Continuous Trap  
Card Text: During the end of the Battle Phase, you can Tribute 1 "Cyber" monster that has battled this turn to inflict damage to your opponent, equal to the Tributed monster's ATK or DEF score, depending on what Position the Tributed monster was in. You can send this card to the Graveyard during your turn to destroy all Spell and Trap cards on the field.

Forgiving Charity  
Quick-Play Spell  
Card Text: During the end of a Battle Phase in which you take damage, you can activate this card. Special Summon 1 Forgiving Token to your opponent's side of the field, in Defense Position. (Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Level 2/ATK ?/DEF ?). Its ATK and DEF are each equal to the amount of damage you have taken this turn. This token cannot declare an attack, or be used as a Tribute for a Summon.

Turn Back Time  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: You can only activate this card during the start of your Main Phase 1. You cannot activate any Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the turn (any cards face-up on the field already are excluded from this effect). Select and activate one of these two effects:  
- Restore your Life Points to the number you had at the start of the last turn. If you do this, your opponent gains/loses the same number of Life Points.  
- Special Summon one monster that was removed from your side of the field during the last turn, ignoring all summoning conditions. If you do this, your opponent can Special Summon a monster that was removed from their side of the field during the last turn.

* * *

The next chapter will be a DOUBLE chapter! No hints for this one, though!

Note: _Love is in the air..._ Yep, I bet precisely none of you figured THAT out!

In other matters, The Ruler will appear again later in the story. No hints as to how, though!

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

I need two more Society of Light members, and three more Shadow Knights.

Oh, one more thing. I can't write past the Duel Academy Challenge until I have some OCs. That gives you around ten chapters, give or take.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	17. Second Shot and The Battles Begin!

Shaun1e here, with Chapters Nineteen and Twenty! Announcing the first half of the next round of the Duel Academy Challenge, as well as a new couple. What are your guesses? Well, read on, and find out if you were right!

Side note-this is my longest ever posting, with over 4,000 words in these two chapters! Talk about a lot!

**Disclaimer: **Let's make this simple. The game Yu-Gi-Oh isn't mine. Yu-Gi-Oh GX and any of its characters aren't mine.

**Claimer: **The OCs that I have created ARE mine. The extra cards given to many characters are mine-these will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter. Any OCs that have been created by other people will also be credited, and belong to their creators.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Second Shot

Shaun sat in his Challenge HQ, dismantling everything using his magic-as all of the remaining matches would take place in one of the Academy's many arenas, the equipment he had set up to monitor the island was no longer necessary. The only thing he kept assembled was his laptop and the clipboard he always had to hand. He mused on the day he had just had-having to "discipline" someone who insulted him-and, technically, Alexis too-and finally asking Alexis to marry him. "I think I might have just had the best day ever." he said to himself, as he finished up. He turned to see Alexis standing right behind him, smiling. "Lexi!" he said, smiling too. He swept her into his arms and they shared a long kiss.

"Me too, Shaun." Alexis said, when they finally broke apart. "Best day ever. But the big day itself will be better, of course."

"Of course, Lexi." Shaun said, beaming. "Come on, we'd better announce the draw result for the next round of the Challenge."

"Business-like as usual, Shaun?" Alexis said teasingly.

"Only when the business involves you, Lexi," Shaun said, only half-jokingly. "Your draw shouldn't be too tricky-just be careful not to underestimate them."

"Who have I ever underestimated, Shaun?" Alexis looked hurt.

"Hey, you, I never said you've underestimated anyone." Shaun poked his tongue out at Alexis. "I'm just saying, be careful."

"Aww, I didn't know you cared." Alexis said jokingly, as they entered the arena. Shaun made a microphone appear out of thin air, winking at Alexis as he strode out to the stage.

"Attention Duel Academy and remaining Pro duellists!" Shaun announced to the crowd. "You have all duelled admirably for the first round matches of the Duel Academy Challenge, but so many of you have sadly had to be eliminated. The fact of the matter is, out of the one hundred and twenty students and forty Pros, twelve students and four Pros remain in the competition. That's impressive. What's even more impressive is that I only had to disqualify two people-one for using Temple of the Kings, the other for attempting to use the Ante rule." He chuckled. "Thankfully for Duel Academy's reputation, both disqualified duellists were Pros." The arena radiated shock. "I know you're shocked at that-after all, you'd think they'd know better." Shaun looked menacing, then smiled brightly. "No matter. It's time for the second round pairings to be announced!" The crowd cheered. Shaun smiled as he continued. "These pairings have been randomly generated by a computer algorithm I created. I won't go into details here, as it's long, complicated and boring, but I have placed the same algorithm on the school servers, for others to use as they see fit. No editing it, though. Right, here we go."

Shaun paused, grabbing his clipboard, and continued. "These first four matches will take place tomorrow, in the Dragon Arena. Duel 1 will be between Marc Wheeler, of Duel Academy's Ra Yellow and Misty Moto, of Duel Academy's Slifer Red." The crowd cheered as the two duellists walked onto the stage, standing next to each other. "Duel 2 will be between Jaden Yuki of Duel Academy's Slifer Red and the Pro Duellist Aster Phoenix." More cheers for the two duellists, although Shaun sensed the mood was more supportive of Aster than Jaden. He decided not to elaborate, though. "Duel 3 will be between Pro Duellist Joey Wheeler and Maxwell Sheppard of Duel Academy's Ra Yellow." Huge cheering for this pairing, especially from Felicity. Shaun smiled. "And tomorrow's last match, Duel 4, will be between Alexis Rhodes, of Duel Academy's Obelisk Blue, and Felicity Kaiba, also of Duel Academy's Obelisk Blue." In an undertone, away from the microphone "This could be fun." Microphone back to his mouth: "The rest of the matches will be announced once the first four are complete. Good luck tomorrow, everyone!" Shaun announced, hopping off the stage.

* * *

Chapter Twenty: The Battles Begin!

The next day had come quickly. The stage was set for the day's duels to begin. The crowd was ready to watch. The duellists were ready to battle. All that was needed was for the intercom to announce the start of the first match.

"Match one may now begin." the intercom suddenly blared. "Good luck to our competitors!"

"Good luck, Misty." Marc said, shaking her hand as he handed back her deck, which he had been shuffling.

"You too, Marc." Misty said, smiling, as the duel began.

* * *

DUEL!

Marc: 8000  
Misty: 8000

"I'm in the lower dorm, so I'll start!" Misty drew. "I summon Blast Magician, in Attack Position!" The fiery magician, dressed in a red form of the Dark Magician's clothing, appeared on the field. (1400/1700) "Next, I'll activate Spell Absorption, giving me 500 extra Life Points every time a Spell card is activated, and also giving my monster a Spell Counter!" The card appeared on the field, as Blast Magician seemed to start glowing with a faint red light. "Now, I'll activate the Field Spell Yami, giving Spellcasters and Fiends 200 extra ATK and DEF, but taking the same amount from Fairies." The field turned dark, with purple streaks running across it. (Blast Magician: (1400-1600/1700-1900/2 Counters) "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

Marc: 8000  
Misty: 8500 (Spell Absorption)

"I draw." Marc looked briefly at his hand. "I discard one card in my hand to allow me to Special Summon the Quickdraw Synchron, in Attack!" The toonified robotic cowboy appeared on the field, gun aimed at Blast Magician. (700/1400) "I then Tribute my Synchron, to summon Saber Beetle, also in Attack!" The crowd gasped as the beetle appeared, saber horn crackling with power. (2400/600)

"Impressive play there." Jaden commented. "A 2400 point monster on his first turn. It won't be easy, but Misty's gonna do it. I know she will."

"Very confident in her skill there, Jay." Shaun commented, from just behind Jaden. "We wouldn't be admiring her from afar, would we?"

Jaden blushed slightly at that, but turned back to the duel without comment. Shaun chuckled, then did the same. He knew how much Jaden liked Misty-and, unknown to Jaden, how much Misty liked him. "_Either one or the other will have to say or do something to start them off sooner or later._" Shaun mused. "_I cannot honestly imagine it being Jaden, though. Let's hope Misty's braver than he is._"

"Saber Beetle, attack her Blast Magician!" Marc shouted, interrupting Shaun's thoughts, as the beetle charged towards the magician.

"Activate face-down," Misty shouted, as her card rose. "Magical Dimension!" Shaun smiled-he knew they were in for a good duel. "Magical Dimension allows me to Tribute my Blast Magician, to make way for my Cybernetic Magician!" The magician, clothed all in white, emerged from the coffin depicted on the Magical Dimension card. (2400/1000) "Plus, my card allows me to destroy your Saber Beetle."

"No can do, Misty." Marc smirked. "I discard my Spell Fixer card to allow me to negate that part of the effect." The coffin shattered, before it could consume the Saber Beetle. "Plus, while my Spell Fixer remains in the Graveyard, I can activate Spell Cards from my hand at any time during the Duel!"

"Hang on..." Shaun pulled up the Forbidden and Limited Lists on his PDA, soon finding "Spell Fixer" on the Limited List. "Lucky git..."

"Interesting." Misty commented. "Still your go, though."

"I was aware of that." Marc muttered. Louder: "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." The card appeared on the field.

Marc: 8000  
Misty: 9000 (Spell Absorption-again)

"Draw." Misty surveyed her cards. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your face-down card." The card was revealed to be Miniaturize, before it was destroyed. "A clever plan in the making, it seems. Not anymore, though. I summon White Magician Pikeru, in Attack Position." The small magical child, dressed in white, appeared on the field, ready to strike. (1200-1400/0-200) "Now I'll discard a card from my hand, to boost my Pikeru's original Attack score to 2000 until the end of the turn, using my Cybernetic Magician's effect." (Pikeru: 1400-2000-2200/200) "I'll continue with Monster Reborn, letting me summon the Dark Magician I just discarded to the field!" The signature monster of the deck of the King of Games appeared on the field. (2500-2700/2100-2300)

Marc: 8000  
Misty: 10000 (Spell Absorption-again-twice.)

"Dark Magician, destroy the Saber Beetle!" The Dark Magician's attack briefly inverted the colours of the Saber Beetle, before it was destroyed. "Now, Pikeru and Cybernetic Magician, direct attack!" The two other magicians struck Marc with blasts of white magic, knocking him back about a foot.

Marc: 2900 (2600 from Cybernetic Magician, 2200 from Pikeru, 300 from battle between Dark Magician and Saber Beetle.)  
Misty: 10000

"I end my turn." Misty said with a smirk, sounding more confident than before now. (Pikeru: 2200-1400/200)

"What a turn." Bastion looked shocked. "Three separate monsters, and more than half of Marc's Life Points gone, as well as his field decimated. Not only that, but Misty still has ten thousand Life Points!"

"I hope I'm not the one that has to face her." Jaden said, sounding worried.

"Let's just see how the draw goes, eh Jaden?" Shaun said, smirking. "Besides, you'd have to win yourself first."

Marc was not happy. "I draw!" He studied his cards carefully, as a smile crossed his face. "Right, pay close attention, because I'm not describing this more than once. I'll start with Hand Destruction, forcing each of us to discard two cards, then draw two cards. As you have no cards in your hand, you draw two for free, but I must discard one to draw." (_Author Note: I know the card doesn't work that way-just call it literary license._) They did as they had to, with Marc smiling at his draws. "I summon Junk Synchron, in Attack!" The cartoony-looking robot appeared on the field, raring to go. (1300/500) "With his effect, I can bring back the level 2 Speed Warrior I discarded just now, in Defence." The warrior appeared, crouching defensively. (900/400) "Next, I'll utilise the effect of Quillbolt Hedgehog to bring it back onto the field, also in Defence, as I have a Tuner monster in play!" The hedgehog with bolts for spikes appeared. (800/800) "I now Tribute Junk Synchron and Quillbolt Hedgehog-which is removed from play via its own effect-to Synchro Summon Junk Warrior!" The two monsters jumped into a light, which formed a taller, stronger version of the robot from earlier. (2300/1300) "My new monster also gains ATK equal to the ATK of all level 2 or lower monsters on my side of the field-and I spy a total of 900 points boost!" The Junk Warrior became stronger as Speed Warrior lent it his strength. (2300-3200/1300) "Now, Junk Warrior, attack her Dark Magician!" The Junk Warrior struck Dark Magician, causing it to be shattered.

Marc: 2900  
Misty: 10000 (500 from battle between Dark Magician and Junk Warrior, but 500 gained from Spell Absorption.)

"Impressive, Marc." Misty said, smiling. "As you have nothing else to do, I'll draw." She was right-Marc had expended his hand in his play, except for one card he seemed to be holding on to. "I activate Lightning Vortex, allowing me to discard one card from my hand to destroy all of your face-up monsters." Marc looked stunned as the blast struck his field, leaving it bare. "That seems to be game." Misty smiled. "Direct attack, my monsters!"

Marc: 0 (Double Direct attack-2600 from Cybernetic Magician and 1400 from Pikeru)  
Misty: 10500 (Spell Absorption-again.)

Misty wins with overkill!

* * *

"Impressive, Misty." Marc smiled. "Good luck in the next round."

"Thanks, Marc." Misty smiled back.

"Duel one complete." the intercom blared into life. "Jaden Yuki and Aster Phoenix, report to the Duel Arena."

Jaden and Misty met up as Jaden was entering the arena. "That was great, Misty." Jaden said, smiling. "I hope I haven't got to face you in the tournament now-I'd get creamed."

Misty laughed, a sweet laugh that Jaden liked. "Thank you, Jaden." she said, smiling back. "Good luck for your duel, although you won't need luck to win." With that, she suddenly kissed him on the cheek, then ran to the stands to watch.

Jaden stood, looking at her as she ran off. He sighed happily and walked onto the arena stage, smiling as he did. Shaun smiled himself, a small, satisfied smile, as Misty arrived in the stands, sitting next to him. "Well done, Misty," he said to her, smiling. "If he loses this duel now, I'll be shocked."

Misty chuckled. "You think that was the only reason I did what I did?" she said, grinning.

"Of course not, Misty." Shaun grinned back. "You love him, and he loves you-that's why you did it. I hope you two are happy together." Misty's only response was to smile, as she turned to the duel that was beginning.

* * *

DUEL!

Jaden: 8000  
Aster: 8000

"I'll start, Aster, so get your game on!" Jaden drew his sixth card. "I activate Hero Fusion, paying 1000 Life Points to summon an Elemental Hero fusion, using monsters from my Deck or Hand. I choose to fuse Avian, Burstinatrix and Sparkman, to summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman!" _(Author Note: Yes, I know the usual Fusion requirements are "Flame Wingman" and "Sparkman"-this is to speed it along a little. And yes, he is also trying to impress someone...)_ The glowing variant of the Flame Wingman appeared, ready to strike. (2500/2100) "This monster gains 300 ATK for each Elemental Hero in the Graveyard-and I count three!" (SFW: (2500-3400/2100)) "As well as that, I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart, in Attack!" The new Hero appeared next to Shining Flare Wingman. (1500/1600) "I'll throw down two face-downs to end my turn!"

Jaden: 7000 (1000 damage from Hero Fusion)  
Aster: 8000

"An impressive first move, Jaden." Aster certainly seemed impressed, as he drew. "But unfortunately, not impressive enough. I summon Destiny Hero Doom Lord, in Attack!" The dark-suited hero appeared, grinning at Jaden. (600/800)

"Ouch." Shaun seemed to be the only person apart from Aster to know what the monster did. "That's a good play there for Aster. Doom Lord can remove a monster from play for two turns. Nasty piece of work, actually."

"Correct, Shaun." Aster smiled. "Of course, that ability requires me to give up my right to attack, but seriously, why would I attack a monster 900 points stronger than my Doom Lord? Doom Lord, remove Shining Flare Wingman from play!" Doom Lord grabbed Shining Flare Wingman, making him fade from the field.

"No!" Misty seemed upset. Shaun grabbed her shoulder to stop her from running to Jaden's side. She turned to see him smiling.

"Misty, a hint for you." Shaun chuckled. "NEVER count Jaden out until he's hit 0. I bet he has some tricks up his sleeve ready for Aster. Even if he doesn't have the cards he needs, he has an uncanny ability to always draw what he needs."

"Next, I activate Clock Tower Prison!" Aster shouted, activating the field spell.

"...OK, I wasn't expecting that, but this is good." Shaun smiled. "Jaden, you know what you need to do."

"Yeah, come on Jay!" Misty shouted. Her voice seemed to give Jaden new hope.

"I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn." Aster smiled. "Try getting through that, Jaden."

"Don't party just yet, Aster." Jaden smirked, holding up the card he had drawn. "I drew this, Dimension Gate! Now, once per turn, I can bring one monster that has been removed from play back to the field, by sending one monster from my deck to the Graveyard for every two levels it has. So I send Elemental Heroes Necroshade, Heat, Lady Heat and Knospe to the Graveyard to summon my Shining Flare Wingman back into play! (Shining Flare Wingman: 2500-4600/2100) "Plus, I activate my face-down Double Attack, discarding my Elemental Hero Finality to give my Flare Wingman another attack, with 4900 Points! Finally, I'll activate my other face-down, Hero's Unity, destroying one card on your side of the field for each Hero I own-and since I have two, that's your field spell and your face-down gone!" The two named cards disintegrated, leaving Doom Lord alone on the field. "Now, Wildheart, destroy Doom Lord!" The Doom Lord had no hope against Wildheart, and was swiftly destroyed.

Jaden: 7000  
Aster: 7100 (900 Battle Damage from Wildheart)

"Now, Shining Flare Wingman, Double Shining Flare Blast!" Jaden shouted, as the Flare Wingman finished Aster off.

"I lost...again?" Aster seemed shocked and, off stage, so did Sartorius.

"_Impossible! Aster was fated to win this match!_" Sartorius seethed internally. "_What is the power clouding my predictions?_"

Jaden: 7000  
Aster: 0 (Shining Flare Wingman's two attacks, at 4900 points each)

Jaden wins!

* * *

"What a duel!" Shaun shouted into the microphone he was holding. "Now, to help you all recover your nerves after those duels, there will be a one-hour break before the next duel. This is also long enough for you to get lunch from one of Duel Academy's many and varied restaurants, so find one ya like, and enjoy!" With that, he hopped off the stage, motioning to Alexis to join him as he left the arena.

Soon, Jaden and Misty were the only ones left in the arena. Jaden hopped onto the arena, approaching Misty quickly.

"Misty..." Jaden began. Misty interrupted him, however, with a long kiss. Once they broke apart, Misty smiled.

"Jaden, do you really need to ask me out?" she said, still smiling as she looked deep into Jaden's eyes. "We both know either of us would say yes to that question from the other."

Jaden smiled himself. "You're right, of course," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Want to go get something to eat, Misty?"

"I'd love to, Jay." Misty and Jaden linked hands and started to walk to the nearest restaurant area, Misty's head resting on Jaden's shoulder, and Jaden's arm around Misty.

* * *

New Cards introduced in these Chapters:

Spell Fixer  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by discarding it from your hand when your opponent activates a Spell Card that would either destroy a monster you control, or reduce your Life Points. Negate that card's destruction/Life Point loss effect. While this card is in the Graveyard, after being sent there by this card's effect, all Spell Cards gain 1 Spell Speed, and can be activated from your hand at any time during the Duel.

Hero Fusion  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Pay 1000 Life Points. You can Fusion Summon an "Elemental Hero" monster by sending the Fusion Material Monsters listed on the Fusion Monster from your Deck or your hand to the Graveyard. The Fusion Material Monsters used must be the correct ones.

Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman  
(This card isn't a new card, it's just been given a second set of Fusion Material Monsters.)  
Card Text addition: (placed after the first set of Fusion Material requirements) _...or _"Elemental Hero Avian" + "Elemental Hero Burstinatrix" + "Elemental Hero Sparkman"...

Dimension Gate  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: Once per turn, you can select 1 Monster that has been removed from play. By sending one Monster Card from your Deck to the Graveyard for every 2 Levels the removed monster has, you can Special Summon the monster to your side of the field. If you do this, you cannot Normal Summon or Set this turn.

Elemental Hero Finality  
Ritual Monster  
ATK/DEF: ?/?  
LIGHT-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 11  
Card Text: This monster can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell "Hero's Final Stand". This card's ATK and DEF are equal to the total combined ATK and DEF (respectively) of all "Elemental Hero" monsters in your Graveyard. This card cannot attack your opponent directly. At the end of this turn, return this monster to your Deck, unless "Skyscraper" or "Skyscraper 2-Hero City" is on the field.

Hero's Unity  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Destroy 1 card on your opponent's side of the field for each "Elemental Hero" monster on your side of the field.

* * *

New OCs introduced in these Chapters:

Marc Wheeler  
Uses a Synchron deck, based around Junk Warrior and Road Warrior. It has many low-level monsters with powerful effects, as well as a few higher-level powerhouses, just in case he doesn't have the monsters to Synchro Summon.  
Personality: Friendly towards everyone, and tries to help anyone who needs it-no matter what the result may be. He is currently in Ra Yellow. Cannot see Duel Spirits, beside his Kindred Spirit.  
Kindred Spirit: Junk Synchron

* * *

The next chapter will be "Pause for Memories".

Note: OK, even WITH 8000 points, these duels are still a bit short. Still, it's not the end of the world if these duels are short-the later rounds will most likely feature more action-packed duels anyway, so you can look forward to that.

And, before you say it, yes, the next chapter will feature a flashback to the past. No prizes for guessing whose past.

* * *

Oh yes, I should mention that the duels mentioned above are only half of the Duel Academy Challenge's second-round duels. The other half will be announced soon.

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

I need two more Society of Light members, and three more Shadow Knights.

Oh, one more thing. I can't write past the Duel Academy Challenge until I have some OCs. That gives you around ten chapters, give or take.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character-"None" is NOT an option.):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	18. Pause for Thought

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Twenty-One! Flashback Alert-times two!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One: Pause for Thought

As he entered the Dragon Café, Shaun looked around for a table to sit at. There were plenty of empty seats, but most of the tables had couples at, and Shaun felt awkward interrupting a couple, just to get somewhere to sit. He chose to sit at an empty table in the corner of the room, overlooking the whole café. Looking around, he smiled as he saw Jaden and Misty enter, hand in hand, talking softly to each other. "_Well done, Jay._" Shaun thought. "_I'm glad you found someone to be with._" Shaun chuckled softly to himself. "_I remember when we first met, Jaden. I'll always remember that duel..._"

* * *

FLASHBACK (Shaun's PoV):

I'd made it to the final of the Junior World Championships! OK, so this might sound a bit like I'm bragging-and I guess I am-but the opponent's I've faced so far haven't been that tricky to defeat-except that semi-final battle, which ranks as one of my top ten duels ever. Note to self: Never underestimate the Six Samurai. Still, this Yuki kid seems quite good. Elemental Hero decks are very hard to run successfully, but he's managed it flawlessly so far. I have to admit, I'm impressed.

Suddenly, I feel arms around my waist. I'm spun around to see my girlfriend, Alexis, smiling at me. I lean in and kiss her cheek, smiling back.

"You made it, Shaun!" she squealed happily. "Well done!"

"Thanks, Lex," I said happily, grinning. "Too bad it couldn't be you and me in the final, eh Lexi?"

Lex seemed a bit more upset than usual by that. I think something's bothering her. "Yeah, well, that Jaden kid is unbelievably good." She smiled slightly. Yep, something's up-I can sense a fake smile a mile off. "He could almost be as good as you, Shaun."

"As me?" My voice displayed equal measures of shock, disbelief and respect. "I won't be underestimating him anytime soon, then."

"Like you underestimated that Samurai kid just now?" Lexi smiled-she could tell when I wasn't duelling at my best. And I could tell when she was avoiding something. I'll ask her after the final.

A voice shouted at me from the other end of the hall. "Hey, Shaun!" We turned to see a kid running towards us. I'd seen a few duels of his-enough to identify him as Jaden Yuki, my next opponent.

"Hey, Jaden." I smiled. "Good luck out there." My smile became a smirk. "You'll need it."

"Shaun! Don't be so cocky!" Alexis slapped the top of my arm, before turning to Jaden. "I'm sorry about that, Jaden. He can be so full of himself sometimes."

"I was kidding, you know." I objected. To Jaden: "You're a great duellist, Jaden. I'm sure this will be a great duel."

* * *

And so it was-and for all the right reasons. On my very first turn, I had to deal with Elemental Hero Terra Firma-a one-of-a-kind card! Once that was gone, Elemental Hero Gaia, then Elemental Hero Inferno appeared-in quick succession! Fusion after fusion-I could barely keep up! Thankfully, I'd managed to summon some big monsters of my own, and took down each Hero as they came. Soon, it was the last turn.

* * *

DUEL IN PROGRESS!

Jaden: 2400  
Shaun: 1700

Jaden has Elemental Hero Wildheart in Attack (1500/1600) and one card face-down. He also has one card in his hand.  
Shaun has UFORoid Fighter (?-4200/?-4200) in Attack, two face-downs, and two cards in his hand.

It is Shaun's turn, in the Draw Phase.

"Draw!" I shouted, as I did that. "I trigger my face-down card to start-De-Fusion! Now my monster splits back into UFORoid and Black Luster Soldier!" The two monsters appeared on my side of the field. (UFORoid: 1200/1200, BLS: 3000/2500) "Next, I'll activate this-Share the Pain! This card costs me one monster, but you must Tribute one of yours as well!" My UFORoid exploded, as did Wildheart. Jaden grimaced at this, but said nothing. "Next, I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your face-down card!" The card was blown away by the typhoon. "Now, Black Luster Soldier, finish this with a direct attack!" The soldier rushed across to Jaden, taking the last of his Life Points.

"I discard my Recoil card to activate its ability, taking your last Life Points as well!" Jaden shouted, as the blast split and hit me at the same time it hit Jaden.

Jaden: 0 (Black Luster Soldier)  
Shaun: 0 (Recoil)  
Drawn game-SUDDEN DEATH!

"And thus, Sudden Death activates!" An announcer jumped onto the stage. "Each of you picks cards up from your deck until a monster appears, and the strongest monster wins!"

We did as instructed. My first card was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon-good luck beating that, Jaden Yuki. "I've got a 3000 ATK monster-the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" I shouted, as the dragon appeared.

Jaden sighed, sounding defeated. "I've got Bladedge-only 2600 ATK. You win, Shaun."

Shaun wins by Sudden Death!

* * *

"Well done, Jaden." I said, smiling. "Despite losing, you put up a great fight. I look forward to our next duel."

Jaden smiled. "Me too, Shaun." he said. "I hope this isn't the last time we meet, then. I need to beat you, after all." We both laughed at that, and soon became good friends.

FLASHBACK END.

* * *

Back in Duel Academy, Shaun smiled, at the friendship he had made. He then sighed, remembering the conversation that had occurred after that duel-the most upsetting of his life.

* * *

FLASHBACK:

"Lex, please tell me you aren't serious." Shaun's world had just crumbled.

Alexis sighed, tears rolling down her face. "I'm sorry, Shaun." She moved towards her distraught boyfriend, wrapping her arms around him. She'd just told him that her parents had got new jobs in Japan-meaning that the whole Rhodes family was leaving the country soon. He might never see her again.

Shaun returned the hug, starting to tear up himself, and for a while nothing but sobs could be heard from the two lovers, as they clung onto each other. Eventually, Shaun broke the hug-and the silence. "How long until you leave?"

"Three days, Shaun." Alexis had stopped sobbing now, but still looked devastated. "I wish it were longer."

Shaun still had tears running down his face, but he had stopped sobbing too. "I agree, Lex. Three days isn't long enough to say goodbye." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'm going to miss you, Lexi. More than you can ever imagine."

"And I'll miss you...my love." Alexis whispered. They grabbed each other again, sharing in a close hug, both of them crying for the love that would be shattered.

END FLASHBACK.

* * *

"_Three years ago tomorrow, that day._" Shaun thought, looking upset. "_I never forgot her, not once. Even when I went to that school back home, and I met her...she never came close to my Lexi. And once I heard of Duel Academy...Well, I had to come, just to see if Lexi was here. I'm lucky she understood._" Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder. He turned to see Jaden and Misty, standing behind him, Misty's hand in Jaden's.

"You seemed a bit sad, Shaun." Jaden said, frowning. "You OK, mate?"

"Yeah...I'm fine." Shaun said, smiling. "I was just thinking about the past." He sighed, losing the smile. "The Junior World Championships, in fact."

Jaden smiled. "Oh yeah, our first match." He paused for a moment. "Then why did you look so depressed?"

I sighed again. "Cos that was the day that Alexis told me that she was moving away from where we lived." I said, the memory bringing a tear to my eye. Jaden grimaced-he'd seen how close me and Lexi were during the tournament.

"You found me, though." Alexis sat next to Shaun, putting an arm around him. "That was our hardest time-but we got through it." She wiggled her left hand, showing off the ring she was wearing. "And here's the proof." Jaden and Misty's eyes widened.

"You popped the question, Shaun?" Misty looked surprised.

"Yep." Shaun smiled, wrapping an arm around Alexis' shoulders. "I can't let my Lexi slip away, now can I?"

Alexis smiled. "And how could I say no to you?" she said, kissing him on the cheek.

Suddenly, the intercom spoke. "The next match in the Duel Academy Challenge begins in five minutes. Maxwell Sheppard and Joey Wheeler, please report to the Dragon Arena immediately."

"Well, here we go again." Jaden smiled, as they left the café, heading back towards the arena.

* * *

The next chapter will be "The Second Round Continues!".

Note: Flashbacks are useful sometimes, aren't they? There will be more appearing soon, from several characters' perspectives.

On another note, who do you think will win each of the two matches coming up?

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

I need two more Society of Light members, and three more Shadow Knights.

Oh, one more thing. I can't write past the Duel Academy Challenge until I have some OCs. That gives you around ten chapters, give or take.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character-"None" is NOT an option.):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	19. The Second Round Continues!

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Twenty-Two! Duel Alert-times two!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Second Round Continues!

Maxwell and Joey Wheeler were on the stage, ready to battle. Maxwell looked nervous, and with good reason-not only did his opponent make it to the semi-finals of the Battle City tournament and the final of Duellist Kingdom, but he was still an accomplished Pro Duellist, currently number six in the world.

Felicity, watching from the stands, seemed to sense Maxwell's nervousness. Sometimes, magic was a useful skill. "Come on Maxie!" she shouted. "You can beat him-I know it!"

Maxwell looked up to Felicity, smiling. "Thanks, hun." He turned to Joey, still smiling. "Good luck, Joey."

"You too, kid." Joey smiled, as the duel began.

* * *

DUEL!

Joey: 8000  
Maxwell: 8000

"I'll start!" Joey said, drawing. "I summon Little Winguard, in Defence!" The monster appeared, crouching on its card. (1400/1800) "I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"OK, I draw." Maxwell said. "_Hmm. Interesting hand._" Out loud: "I activate this, Polymerisation!"

"Already, Maxwell?" Shaun muttered, loud enough for only him to hear. "What are you up to?"

"I fuse Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix to form Elemental Hero Phoenix Enforcer!" This shocked a lot of people, not least Jaden. The monster appeared, grinning at Little Winguard. (2100/1200)

"When did he get Elemental Heroes?" Jaden sounded shocked, and with good reason. "And when did that one get released?"

"They aren't as rare as you might think, Jay." Misty said, an arm around her boyfriend. "And it's been released as long as Flame Wingman has-sometimes, there's more than one Elemental Hero fusion possibility for two Elemental Heroes."

"Hmmm" was Jaden's reply. Evidently he had never heard of that.

"Now, we all know Flame Wingman's ability." Maxwell said, drawing attention back to the duel. "Phoenix Enforcer's ability makes him impervious to battle, however. I'll now activate Stop Defence, forcing Little Winguard into Attack!"

"Not quite, kid." Joey said. "I activate Dark Bribe, negating your card at the cost of letting you draw a card." The Stop Defence card shattered as Maxwell drew.

"An impressive card." Maxwell sounded anything but impressed-more annoyed. "However, you can't use the same trick twice. I activate another Stop Defence!" This time, it worked, as Little Winguard moved into Attack. "Next, Phoenix Enforcer will attack Little Winguard!"

"Nice try, kid." Joey grinned. "I activate Fairy Box!"

"Oh hell." Maxwell knew the card. "With your legendary luck, I'm gonna take a hit here."

"For those who don't know, Fairy Box lets me toss a coin and call it during a battle." Joey smirked. "If I call it right, the attacking monster loses all its ATK for the battle. I call Heads!" He threw the coin up in the air, letting it land on the ground. It showed...

"Alright! Heads it is!" Joey whooped.

"Don't party just yet, Wheeler." Maxwell sounded annoyed. "I discard my Trap Fixer to negate your trap's effect for this turn, so Phoenix Enforcer still wins the battle!" Little Winguard was demolished.

Joey: 7300 (700 damage from battle)  
Maxwell: 8000

"Now, due to Trap Fixer's effect, I can activate Trap Cards from my hand. Therefore, I can play this-Fusion Fission!"

"Clever." Shaun sounded impressed. "With that card, Phoenix Enforcer can deal its ATK as direct damage to Joey. The only cost is, he has to de-fuse his monster to do so."

"Hold on, time-out!" Joey shouted. "Isn't that card Forbidden?"

"Sorry, Joey," Shaun smiled. "Afraid not-it was downgraded to Limited during the last revision."

"That's right." Maxwell grinned. "Phoenix Enforcer, Fusion Fission Blast!" The monster was torn apart, producing a large shockwave that blasted Joey back a fair way.

Joey: 5200 (2100 from Fusion Fission)  
Maxwell: 8000

"Now, Avian and Burstinatrix, return to the field!" Maxwell shouted, as the monsters appeared out of the burst of light that Phoenix Enforcer had created. (Avian: 1000/1000 Burstinatrix: 1200/800) "I also drew a card due to Fusion Fission's effect, so I'll set it. That'll do for now." Maxwell finished, smirking.

"Draw." Joey was worried now. "_That kid's good, I have to admit. I'll have to get better._" Out loud: "Alright, I activate Hand Destruction! Each of us discards two cards to draw two. You don't discard, though, as your hand is empty." Both duellists did as instructed. Joey's eyes widened. "Listen carefully, kid. I activate my own Polymerisation, combining Time Wizard and Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

"Hang on a minute-is that even a legal fusion?" Shaun wondered aloud. "Guess we're about to find out."

"This combination makes Gearfried, the Knight of Time!" Joey shouted, as the new monster appeared on the field. (?/?)

"Oh heck, indeterminate means trouble." Shaun muttered.

"My monster's ATK is equal to half of my Life Points, and his DEF is equal to half of your Life Points!" Joey said, with a smile. (Time Knight: 2600/4000) "Next, I'll equip him with Megamorph, doubling his ATK and DEF!" (2600-5200/4000-8000) "Now, my Knight, attack Burstinatrix!" The Knight shot forwards, until...

"Trap card activate!" Maxwell shouted. "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" The metallic scarecrow appeared. "This card negates your attack!" The Knight stopped, and returned to its side of the field. "Plus, my card is set face-down again!"

"And with Trap Fixer in the Graveyard, he can activate it as soon as it's Set!" Felicity seemed ecstatic. "That's an impenetrable barrier from attack!"

"OK, I don't often say this, but I'm impressed, kid." Joey smiled. "You'll be a great Pro one day. Turn end."

Maxwell drew, and looked overjoyed. "Game over, Joey! I activate a card due to Trap Fixer's effect-Ring of Destruction!"

"Oh come on! That one's definitely Forbidden!" Joey shouted in desperation.

"The list was revised the day before the tournament began." Maxwell grinned. "And that card became Limited. And before anyone decides to ignore that revision, that was the same one that banned Temple of the Kings-and someone's been disqualified for using that, so the current revision is the one being used." His smile disappeared. "That was a good duel, Joey. I can see why you're ranked so highly. But the Ring targets your Time Knight, and ends this!" The monster blew up as the Ring appeared on it.

Joey: 0 (Ring of Destruction)  
Maxwell: 2800 (Ring of Destruction)

Maxwell wins!

* * *

"I'm very impressed, kid." Joey smiled. "I wish you good luck for the rest of the tournament."

"Thanks, Joey." Maxwell and Joey shook hands. "If you ever want a rematch, you know where to find me."

"I might just take you up on that offer one day, kid." Joey smiled. "Well, I've gotta dash. See you again, Maxwell."

"Bye, Joey." Maxwell said, before Felicity appeared next to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"I knew you'd do it, Maxie." Felicity beamed as she smothered him with kisses. "I just knew it!"

"Alright, calm down, Felicity." Maxwell grinned, as he pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss. When they broke apart, Maxwell whispered "If you don't win now, I'll be upset. You know that, don't you?"

Felicity's smile lessened, but didn't disappear. "You're thinking I might lose?" she whispered back. "Some supportive boyfriend you are, Maxie." She giggled, to show she was joking. "Don't worry about a thing, Maxie. I'll win this-for you." Her grin was back in full force. "Love you, Maxie."

"Love you too, hun." Maxwell said, smiling, before turning and running to the stands, to watch the duel.

* * *

On the other side of the arena, Shaun and Alexis were standing in the entrance to the arena, sharing in a long, loving kiss. Once they broke apart, a little out of breath, Alexis smiled giddily.

"I really love you, Shaun." she managed to say, faintly. "I really do."

"I know, Lex." Shaun smiled too. He sounded a lot less out of breath than Alexis. "I love you too-fiancé."

Alexis smiled happily. "I'm never gonna get used to that, you know." She wrapped her arms around Shaun, pulling him in for a close hug. When they finally broke apart, smiling at each other, Shaun motioned towards the arena.

"Your fans are waiting, Lexi." he said, smirking. "Don't disappoint them-especially not your number one fan." His smirk became a genuine smile. "Good luck, Lexi." With that, he walked back towards the stands, a thumbs-up behind his back. Alexis smiled, as she walked out to the arena.

"You took your time, Alexis." Felicity sounded annoyed.

"Sorry, Felicity." Alexis smiled. "Had to deal with something quickly. Ready to duel?"

"You bet I am." Felicity smirked. "After all, to be the best I must beat the best-and you're just one of the best." Alexis smiled at the compliment to her duelling skills, as the two Duel Disks activated.

* * *

DUEL!

Felicity: 8000  
Alexis: 8000

"I'll take first turn!" Alexis said, drawing. Her eyes widened at her opening hand. "_A good start, for once._" Out loud: "I summon Elemental Hero Figure Skater, in Attack!" The figure-skating hero appeared on the field, spinning on the spot. (400/1300)

"Elemental Hero?" Jaden asked, shocked. "Just how many people have these things?"

"Actually, Jaden, that one's a one of a kind card." Shaun had joined the gathering-Chazz, Atticus, Bastion, Craig, Jaden, Misty and Maxwell. "I considered giving it to you, but I thought it would fit better with Alexis' deck than yours-seeing as its effects don't even work well with your Heroes."

"What are its effects?" Atticus asked, warily. He'd not acted as he used to around Shaun since the Dark Magician incident-none of them did, except Chazz, who hadn't been there, and Bastion, who had been told about it, but refused to believe it. Jaden was slightly less carefree around Shaun, Craig had been more cautious with what he said, Misty-who already knew about Shaun's powers-had become more protective of Jaden, even before they had gotten together-but Maxwell hadn't changed-most likely because he was dating another magician. Atticus was the most changed, though-he seemed more cautious of Shaun than any of them, and less trusting. Shaun wasn't really surprised-he hadn't told anyone in Cardiff but Alexis-and, only a short time before he went to Duel Academy, one of his closest friends. One of the very few people that he knew he could trust with his life.

"Wait and see, Atticus." Shaun replied, smiling. Mentally, to Atticus: "_Atticus, listen. We need to talk._"

In the same manner, Atticus said "_We don't, Shaun. I'm not the one you need to keep happy, after all._"

"_You're one of the people that I want to keep happy, Atticus. After all, pretty soon you'll be a brother-in-law._" After hearing that, Atticus' jaw dropped.

"Are you serious, Shaun?" Atticus' loud, shocked voice reverberated around the whole arena. This caused a lot of muttering amongst the crowd-there were only a few possible explanations for Atticus reacting like that, after all. Alexis just sighed-she knew Atticus' reasons for his over-reaction.

"_Of all the times you had to pick, Shaun..._" she thought. Out loud: "If you're done bickering up there, you two, can I duel?"

"Go for it, Lex." Shaun shouted down. Atticus nodded, still looking shocked.

"Thank you, hun." Alexis said, smiling. "I play one of my favourite cards next, A Link to the Past!" The card appeared, showing a clock with hands going backwards. "This card lets me summon any monster that I send to my Graveyard outside of battle, at a cost of 500 Life Points. Next, I'll use Figure Skater's effect, Tributing her to summon a Ritual Monster without its Ritual Spell!"

"So that's why Alexis' deck fits that card better." Bastion sounded impressed.

"You'd be right there, mate." Craig smiled. "Jaden's deck has no ritual monsters that I know of, while Alexis' deck has quite a few that we know of-as well as a few we might not."

"I choose to summon Cyber Angel Tenjouin, in Attack!" Alexis declared, as the Cyber Angel monster appeared on the field. It bore a close resemblance to Alexis. (2000/2000) "Plus, I'll utilise Link to the Past to bring back my Figure Skater, in Defence!" The small hero reappeared, crouching this time.

Felicity: 8000  
Alexis: 7500 (A Link to the Past)

"I didn't think she would be appearing so soon." Shaun sounded happy. "Maxwell, I think it's only fair to tell you that Tenjouin will cause a lot of grief during the duel." Maxwell scowled at him, before turning away. Shaun chuckled-looked like the rivalry was back, but in a different form, as this time their girlfriends were the ones doing the duelling.

"Let me explain, please, Shaun?" Alexis smiled his way. Shaun nodded to her. "Thank you. Now, Tenjouin can remove herself from play during my turn, together with any Fusion monster I choose, from my Extra Deck. Then, during the start of my next turn, they both return to the field!"

"Oh boy." Felicity said, sounding worried. "I take it that's why her name translates to 'Tomorrow', then?"

"Yep. Her Ritual Spell's called Tomorrow's World, too." Alexis smiled sneakily. "Tenjouin, take yourself and my newest monster out of play!" The Cyber Angel, together with an unidentified card, shot off the Duel Disk, and into Alexis' hand, from where they were pocketed.

"Newest monster?" Craig looked over to Shaun, who was wearing the same smile as Alexis. "What are you planning, mate?" Shaun just smirked a "Wait and see, Craig." and turned back to the duel.

Alexis continued. "I'll place one card face-down and end my turn."

"One thing I should mention, actually." Shaun's voice echoed across the arena. "Tenjouin's ability may be used once in a duel. No more, no less."

"We knew that, Shaun. Now I draw." Felicity sounded a little annoyed. Her mood changed once she saw her new card. "I activate Dimensional Guard!" The huge beast appeared, flickering in and out of perception. "All I have to do to activate this card is send one monster from my hand out of play. Now, my Guard prevents cards from returning to the duel once they've been removed from play, as long as he remains on the field." The collective gasp was loud and clear.

"My Angel!" Alexis looked stunned. So were most of the spectators.

"Next, I'll activate Necromantic Restoration!" A purple portal appeared on the field. "All I have to do is discard one card from my hand, and I can Special Summon any Zombie from my Graveyard! So if I discard my Ryu Kokki, it can come straight back!" The zombie appeared, smiling. (2400/2000) "Ryu Kokki, attack her Figure Skater!"

"I activate Malevolent Catastrophe!" Alexis pressed a button on her Duel Disk, revealing the card. "This card can only activate when you call an attack-but it destroys every Spell and Trap card on the field!" The Guard shattered, together with Alexis' Link to the Past. "Plus, I seem to recall that, once your Guard is destroyed, you take damage equal to half the ATK of the monster you sent out of play. And wasn't it Vampire Lord you chose?"

Felicity: 7000 (Dimensional Guard)  
Alexis: 7500

The attack still went through, Figure Skater shattering. Felicity looked worried now. "I play two face-downs and end my turn."

"Draw." Alexis smirked now. "Now you get to meet my newest monster. Courtesy of Industrial Illusions, I summon back my Tenjouin, together with a new friend-Cyber Enchantress!" The seductive dancer appeared, winking at the crowds. (3000/2800) "This monster is a fusion of Cyber Blader and Dark Magician Girl, so it normally won't be used in a duel. Which is a shame, as its abilities are very useful. All I have to do is keep Cyber Blader and Dark Magician Girl out of my Graveyard-which shouldn't be too tricky, as one of them's in my Extra Deck, and the other isn't even IN this deck. While these conditions are in play, not only does my Enchantress gain 1000 ATK, but she can attack you directly for half those points! Go for it, Cyber Enchantress! Cyber Takedown!" The Enchantress disappeared, before appearing behind Felicity, blasting into her. She shouted in pain as the attack hit.

Felicity: 5000 (Enchantress)  
Alexis: 7500

"Felicity!" Maxwell almost dove out of his seat, before Shaun grabbed him. Maxwell spun, looking furious, to see Shaun smiling.

"Calm down, Maxwell." Shaun said, slowly and calmly. "I get the feeling this duel's just getting started."

Maxwell calmed down. "Sorry about that, Shaun. I get angry easily."

"Don't worry about it, Max." Shaun replied. "Before recently, I was the same. I had to learn to control my temper, though, otherwise bad things happened." Shaun shuddered, the smile gone, then turned back to the duel. Maxwell looked at him questioningly, before doing the same.

"Quite right, Shaun. This duel's only just begun." Felicity smirked. "I activate one of my facedown cards, Zombie Throne!" The dark chair appeared. "This card can only be activated when I have a Zombie on the field, and I take 2000 or more damage at once. Since both of those have happened, I can summon my ace monster. Come forth, Zombie Overlord!" Suddenly, on the throne, was a creature of infinite darkness. It seemed to be grinning at the Enchantress. (3350/0) "Yes, before someone says it, my new monster IS weaker than Enchantress-but not for long!" Felicity's smile seemed to look a little more sinister than usual-but everyone knew that effect belonged to her Overlord. "My monster's ability removes the effects of every monster on your side of the field!" The Overlord's grin grew, as Alexis' two monsters suddenly staggered under his glare. (Enchantress: 4000-3000/2800)

Alexis bit her lip, looking worried. Her monster effects were what were keeping her in the game. This would be tough.

* * *

New Cards from this Chapter:

Fusion Fission  
Counter Trap  
Card Text: You can only activate this card when you have a Fusion Monster face-up on the field. Send the monster back to your Fusion Deck, and inflict its ATK as damage to your opponent. In addition, if all of the Fusion Material Monsters used in the Fusion Summon of the Fusion monster are in either player's Graveyard, you can Special Summon them.

Gearfried the Time Knight  
Fusion Monster  
ATK/DEF: ?/?  
EARTH-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 9  
Card Text: "Gearfried the Iron Knight" + "Time Wizard"  
This monster can only be Fusion Summoned with the above Fusion Material Monsters. This monster's ATK is equal to half of your Life Points, and this monster's DEF is equal to half of your opponent's Life Points. When this monster is equipped with an Equip Card that can be equipped to this card, you can destroy one card on your opponent's side of the field.

Elemental Hero Figure Skater  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 400/1300  
EARTH-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 3  
Card Text: You can Tribute this face-up card on the field to Ritual Summon any Ritual Monster from your hand, ignoring all summoning conditions. If this monster is removed from play, all Ritual Monsters in your hand and on your side of the field return to your Deck.

A Link to the Past  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: When a Monster from your side of the field is sent to the Graveyard outside of battle, you can pay 500 Life Points to Special Summon it to the field.

Cyber Angel Tenjouin  
Ritual Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2000/2000  
LIGHT-Attribute, Warrior-Type, 7 Stars  
Card Text: This monster can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell "Tomorrow's World". Once per Duel, while this card is face-up on the field, you can remove from play this card and 1 monster from your Extra Deck. During the Standby Phase of your next turn, both this card and the monster from your Extra Deck are Special Summoned to the field, in face-up Attack.

Dimensional Guard  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: Remove 1 monster in your hand from play to activate this card. While this card is in play, cards that have been removed from play cannot be sent to the Deck, hand, field or Graveyard. If this card is removed from the field, you take damage equal to half of the ATK of the monster you removed from play to activate this card.

Necromantic Restoration  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Discard 1 card from your hand. Special Summon 1 Zombie-Type monster from your hand.

Cyber Enchantress  
Fusion Monster  
ATK/DEF: 3000/2800  
DARK-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 9  
Card Text: "Cyber Blader" + "Dark Magician Girl"  
When the Fusion Material Monsters listed above are not in the Graveyard, this monster gains 1000 ATK, and can attack your opponent directly. If this monster attacks directly using its effect, your opponent only takes half the Battle Damage they would have taken.

Zombie Throne  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: Activate this card when you take 2000 points or more of Direct Damage while you control a Zombie-Type monster with 2000 ATK or more. Special Summon 1 "Zombie Overlord" from your Deck or hand, in face-up Attack Position.

Zombie Overlord  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 3350/0  
DARK-Attribute, Zombie-Type, Level 10  
Card Text: This monster can only be summoned by the effect of "Zombie Throne". When this monster is removed from the field, other than being sent to the Graveyard, remove it from the game. All of your opponent's monsters have their effects negated. When this monster attacks, and survives the battle, you take half of the Battle Damage your opponent takes. When this monster is destroyed in battle, your opponent takes the Battle Damage you would normally take, with half of that damage being dealt to you.

* * *

The next chapter will be "Land of the Undead".

Note: Well, "Maxie" won that one. But it looks like Alexis vs Felicity is just getting interesting, eh?

Side note-I would like some more OCs, but I can now write on without them, if necessary. Just call it creative license :P

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

I need two more Society of Light members, and three more Shadow Knights.

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character-"None" is NOT an option.):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	20. Land of the Undead

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Twenty-Three! The conclusion to an epic duel!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: Land of the Undead

DUEL IN PROGRESS!

Felicity: 5000  
Alexis: 7500

Felicity has Zombie Overlord (3350/0) in Attack, Ryu Kokki (2400/2000) in Attack, and one card face-down. She has no cards in her hand.

Alexis has Cyber Enchantress (3000/2800) in Attack, Cyber Angel Tenjouin (2000/2000), in Attack, and an empty Spell/Trap Card Zone. She has three cards in her hand.

It is the Main Phase 2 of Alexis' second turn.

* * *

"_This could be hard._" Alexis thought, worried. "_Her monster has over 3000 points, and drains the abilities from all of my monsters, so now I can't beat it with the monsters I have. I need a miracle._" Out loud: "I turn Tenjouin into Defence, place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"_This could be worrying._" Shaun thought, looking worried himself. "_With that Overlord, all of Alexis' monster abilities are negated. Plus, I bet Felicity's other facedown is something which stops either Spell or Trap cards. A lockdown scenario isn't good for Lex's deck, so she has to stop it somehow._"

"Draw." Felicity did just that. "_Right, that's monster effects gone. Now to make sure my Overlord can't be destroyed. But first..._" Out loud: "I activate my face-down, Zombie's Gratitude. By Tributing a Zombie, I can draw one card for each Level it has. So I'll Tribute Ryu Kokki to draw six cards." As she drew her cards, the Zombie Overlord glowed with a red light. Felicity smiled. "I forgot to mention-Zombie Overlord gains 100 ATK for each card I draw outside the Draw Phase, so that's another 600 ATK." (Overlord: 3350-3950/0) "Now, my Overlord, attack Alexis' Enchantress!" Dark light shot from the Overlord's hands, shooting towards the Enchantress."

"I activate my face-down," Alexis shouted. "It's Shield and Sword, and I hope you don't need an explanation of that card." Felicity growled as the ATK and DEF of every monster were flipped. (Overlord: 3950-0/0-3950. Enchantress: 3000-2800/2800-3000.) Without his powerful assault, the Enchantress was able to obliterate the Overlord.

"Felicity!" Maxwell sounded upset as Felicity's ace monster was destroyed.

"Don't worry, Maxie." Felicity smiled through the dust. "When my Overlord battles, and he's destroyed, the opponent takes the whole battle damage, while I take half!"

Felicity: 3025 (1975 from battle-halved by Overlord)  
Alexis: 3550 (3950 from Overlord's effect)

"Sneaky." Alexis complimented. "You won't be doing that again, though."

"Won't I?" Felicity smirked. "I activate Overlord's Resurrection!" The Overlord reappeared on the field, smirking too. "This card-which is a Continuous Spell, by the way-allows me to bring back my Overlord when it's destroyed, by discarding one Zombie from my hand." A card in her hand disappeared. "Unfortunately for me, when it's summoned this way, my monster's effects are negated until the end of the next turn." (Overlord: 3350/0) "With that in mind, I'll play two cards face-down and end my turn."

"_All I need is the right card, and I can end this._" Alexis drew, willing the right card to appear. She looked at it, and smiled. "_Yes! I got it!_" Out loud, she said "I activate Elemental Gathering! This card allows me to summon one monster from my Deck for each of up to four different Attributes, if I Tribute one monster. So I'll Tribute Tenjouin to summon Elemental Warrior-EARTH, Elemental Warrior-FIRE, Elemental Warrior-WATER, and Elemental Soldier-WIND!" The four monsters appeared, each wreathed in their respective element (Warriors: 1500/1500 each. Soldier: 1800/1800)

"Why not four Warriors?" Misty asked. Shaun opened his mouth to answer, but, surprisingly, Jaden-of all people (after all, it was no secret that Jaden wasn't the most knowledgeable when it came to any cards other than the ones he used) beat him to it.

"A deck can only have three of the Elemental Warriors in it, Misty." Jaden said, smiling at Misty. "That's because they're all treated as the same monster."

"That's right, Jay." Shaun replied. "Looks like Crowler finally taught you something."

"Actually, Shaun, I have the cards myself." Jaden said, turning to him for a second with a chuckle. "I use them sometimes, when my Heroes need a boost."

"They'll be ending this duel, actually." Alexis smiled her best smile-the one that she knew Shaun loved the most. "I activate Enchanting Elementalism!" Shaun's eyes widened-he and Alexis were the only two that knew that card.

"Nice draw, Lexi." he murmured, not loud enough for anyone to hear. "Game over."

"This card requires me to tribute Cyber Enchantress and pay half of my Life Points while I have five different Attributes of monsters in play. Then, every monster with "Elemental" in its name gets to attack directly for this turn!"

Felicity's eyes widened. Alexis continued. "Don't worry, though-all battle damage they deal this turn is halved." She then smiled. "Oh wait, that's 125 more points than you have. Oops. Good duel, Felicity. Warriors and Soldiers, attack!" The monsters attacked, knocking Felicity backwards.

Felicity: 0 (3150 battle damage)  
Alexis: 1775 (1775 damage due to Enchanting Elementalism)  
Alexis wins!

* * *

Maxwell ran onto the arena, towards Felicity, who had fell to her knees after the attack, sobbing quietly.

"Don't worry, hun." Maxwell said, kneeling next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "You did well."

Felicity raised her head to look at Maxwell, smiling despite the tears in her eyes. "Thanks, Maxie, but I still lost." Her smile disappeared. "I was so close, too."

"If you learn from a loss, it's not really a loss." The couple turned to see Shaun sitting behind them. "You did really well today, Felicity. Despite your loss, you are a very accomplished duellist, and I look forward to watching your next duel."

Felicity sniffed. "Thank you, Shaun." She got up, with help from Maxwell.

"What are friends for?" Shaun said, with a small smile, as he also stood.

Alexis walked up to Felicity and whispered to her "Can I talk to you a little later?"

Felicity nodded, whispering back "Meet me where I got Zombie World." Alexis nodded her understanding, as Shaun made another microphone appear.

"Day one of the Knockout Rounds of the Duel Academy Challenge is now over." Shaun announced. "Advancing to the next round are Misty Muto, Jaden Yuki, Maxwell Sheppard and Alexis Rhodes!" The crowd cheered loudly. Shaun waited until it died down, then continued. "Day Two's matches will be held in the Main Arena. Duel One tomorrow will be between Bastion Misawa, of Duel Academy's Ra Yellow, and Craig Devlin, also of Duel Academy's Ra Yellow!" The aforementioned duellists strode onto the stage-Craig smiling, Bastion impassive. "Duel Two will be between the Pro Duellist-or rather, Pro Manager, Sartorius, and Tyranno Hassleberry, of Duel Academy's Ra Yellow." The manager walked onto the stage, waving to the crowd, while Shaun noticed that Hassleberry wasn't even in the arena. He shrugged it off. "Duel Three will be between Chazz Princeton, of Duel Academy's Slifer Red-well, we'll humour him and say he's in the Society's dorm, otherwise he'll shout at us-and the Pro Duellist Zane Truesdale." The crowd laughed at Shaun's joke at Chazz, while the two duellists came onto the stage-Zane impassive as always, Chazz sauntering onto the stage, looking confident. "And Duel Four will be between Syrus Truesdale, of Slifer Red, and...hang on, there's a blank space here. There should be sixteen names on here. Give me a sec."

Shaun pulled out his PDA, and tapped into the Challenge's database. "Ah, that's why. Syrus' opponent seems to have pulled out of the tournament, so it looks like Sy gets a bye to the next round." Syrus seemed happy at this, which Shaun noticed. "Instead, Duel Four tomorrow will be an exhibition match I had planned for the end of tomorrow-Yugi Muto, using his Battle City deck-including the Egyptian Gods..." The crowd was eagerly awaiting the next part, so Shaun decided not to keep them waiting. "...versus a deck specifically built to defeat the Egyptian Gods!" EVERYONE seemed to be disbelieving at this point. Undeterred, Shaun continued. "And the person building this deck is the one and only Machina Kid! That's right, I get my rematch against the King of Games!" Shock, through the crowd. Shaun smiled. "Don't worry-I'm not duelling for the King of Games crown-after all, the Gods are banned from tournament play, so I wouldn't be able to claim the crown anyway." Relief, from the competitors-and most of the spectators, too. "I just want to prove that the Egyptian Gods are not unbeatable-by bringing them down, one by one." Shaun's smile vanished, only to return full force. "Now, I know you're all probably bored of watcing the duels, so I won't keep you any longer. Go and enjoy Duel Academy Island in all its glory! Until tomorrow, Duellists!" He hopped down from the stage, microphone disappearing, and linked arms with Alexis as they walked out of the arena. To just Alexis, he said "What do you wanna talk to Felicity about later?"

Alexis seemed shocked at the question. "How did you...wait, I can probably guess." She scowled. "Can I say it's private?"

Shaun seemed upset at this. "OK, hun, if that's what you want." He smiled. "After all, we all need secrets." Alexis seemed to relax after he said that. But Shaun had one more surprise to spring on her. Smirking, he said "You know what I was thinking, Lexi?"

"I don't know, Shaun." Alexis said, half sarcastically, half jokingly. "What were you thinking?"

Shaun smiled his most enchanting smile-one that he knew Alexis loved. "Well, how's about, for our wedding...How about having it in Cardiff?"

Alexis' eyes widened-and for good reason-she hadn't been back to Cardiff in three years, since her family had left. "That's a wonderful idea, Shaun," she said, "but what about our friends who can't make it to Cardiff?"

"I'll fly 'em in, Lexi." Shaun's ideas almost never failed to stun Alexis. "Anything for the perfect day, Lex."

Alexis felt her eyes fill up with tears. "You'd...do all that...for me?"

"For us, Lex." Shaun leaned in and kissed her lips gently. "Alexis, I want things to be perfect between us. And I swear that they will be, as long as I'm around." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her. "Now, let's go eat. I bet you're starving after that duel." He steered Alexis towards the nearest restaurant, with her not even beginning to resist. She was still shocked that Shaun would do something this...this...this _much_-for her.

"_He must really love me._" she thought. "_I must be the luckiest person alive._"

* * *

New Cards from this Chapter:

Zombie's Gratitude  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Tribute 1 Zombie-Type monster you control. Draw one card for each Level the Tributed monster has, up to 6 cards.

Overlord's Resurrection  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: If you control no monsters, you can discard 1 Zombie-Type monster from your hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Zombie Overlord" to the field, in Attack Position. Its effects are negated until the end of the next turn.

Elemental Gathering  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: You can only activate this card if you control either 1 or 2 Monsters. Tribute 1 monster you control to summon 1 monster from your Deck from one each of WIND, WATER, EARTH and FIRE.

Elemental Warrior-*  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 1500/1500  
*-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 4  
Card Text: While this monster is face-up on the field, all *-Attribute monsters you control gain 400 ATK and DEF.  
(*=Attribute of monster-can be either EARTH, WIND, WATER or FIRE.)

Elemental Soldier-*  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 1800/1800  
*-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 5  
Card Text: While this monster is face-up on the field, all *-Attribute monsters you control gain 500 ATK and DEF.  
(*=Attribute of monster-can be either EARTH, WIND, WATER or FIRE.)

Enchanting Elementalism  
Counter Trap  
Card Text: Activate only when five different monster Attributes are represented on your side of the field, one of which is "Cyber Enchantress". Tribute 1 "Cyber Enchantress" and pay half of your Life Points. All "Elemental" monsters you control can attack your opponent directly this turn. Any monster attacking using this effect deals half the Battle Damage they would normally inflict.

* * *

The next chapter is entitled "The First Attack!"

Note: An impressive combo there from Alexis. I didn't think she'd pull it off, but she managed it. Bad luck Felicity, though.

As my next chapter post will be the twentieth post, I'm currently torn between leaving the narrative storyline for a bit and exploring the past of a few of my OCs, or moving on with the story, and coming back to the past later on. What do you think, loyal readers?

* * *

Right, now for what I promised-the OC applications!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

I need two more Society of Light members, and three more Shadow Knights.

* * *

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character-"None" is NOT an option.):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	21. The First Attack!

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Twenty-Four! Yes, I decided to go for the storyline, as this story is now the first of the Storm of Light series, rather than a single story! I presume you've noticed the name change already. This chapter's duel is criminally short, and for that, I apologise. Blame it on Marc.

The past scenes I was deciding whether or not to add will appear once the Challenge has concluded, and will wrap up this part of the series.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

I am ACCEPTING OC applications! Simple enough to apply-just follow the instructions at the bottom of this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: The First Attack!  
(Told from Alexis' point of view)

Sitting on the roof of the Obelisk Blue dorm, looking out towards the sea, thinking of how brilliant my life is at the moment. I never thought I'd meet Shaun again, much less be _engaged_ to him, after I left Cardiff. That was the saddest day of my life..

* * *

**FLASHBACK:**

"You'll keep in touch, won't you?"

His voice, which I could hear clearly over everything else in the airport that we were in. My family's flight to Japan would be departing soon, and this was our last chance to say goodbye to Shaun. My last chance to say goodbye to the one I loved.

I smile, trying to make sure he hasn't fallen into his usual depressed thoughts-well, when I'm not around, that is. "Of course I will, Shaun." I say, making it sound obvious. "Why would I not? You're my nearest and dearest friend-and I love you!"

"I know, Lexi." Shaun wraps his arms around me. He starts crying into my shoulder, as I hug him back, starting to cry too. "I don't want to lose you, hun. You're the only person outside my family that I've loved-you know that, don't you?"

I was stunned. No, I hadn't known that-and what a time to bring it up! "I do now, Shaun." I say, my voice low. I tilt his head up, to show him my smile. "Shaun, I promise you that we will meet again-even if I have to go to the ends of the Earth to find you, I will see you one day."

The screen showing our flights changed to show our flight, ready to board. What great timing. Shaun notices the board, and smiles. "Your new life awaits, Miss Rhodes." His smile drops. "I'll see you...when I see you." He moves forwards, towards me. "Take this, as a memory of me."

Suddenly, his lips were on mine, and the most passionate kiss we've ever shared started. It seemed to last forever but, too soon, it was over. Tears appeared in his eyes. "Goodbye, Alexis. I love you."

"I love you too, Shaun." Our hands met, one last time, before I was dragged onto the plane by my brother, Atticus. He turned towards Shaun, and waved, with a sad smile on his face. The last memory I had of Cardiff was Shaun waving back, tears rolling down his face.

**END FLASHBACK.**

* * *

"_Three years._" I hate that memory. "_Three years ago since I left Cardiff-since I left him. I bet the place is nowhere near the same these days._" I sighed-again. "_Life was so much simpler when it was just me and him back in Cardiff, against the world. I kinda liked those days._"

"You OK, Alexis?" The voice made me spin round, to see Felicity sitting down next to me, looking concerned.

"I'm fine, Felicity." I smiled, but that wasn't quite genuine. I'm good at fake smiles, though-only Shaun can see through them. "I was just thinking of the past."

"Ah, the past." Felicity smiled slightly. "Good or bad?"

I sighed. "Both." I started. "Mainly about me and Shaun."

* * *

"Don't make me laugh, Alexis."

The two girls spun around, to see a girl standing behind them, dressed all in black, with a white mask on her face.

"And who the hell are you?" Felicity could get very angry when she needed to.

"No..." I was stunned. "It can't be..."

"Surprised, Lex?" The girl sneered. "Then again, you never were that perceptive back home-or clever, for that matter."

That hit a nerve. "And you think that joining the Shadows will make you clever? Quite the opposite, actually, Mai." (_Author Note: No, it's not the Mai from the Yu-Gi-Oh series-this is a different Mai._)

"Who's Mai?" Her tone conveyed fake shock. "I am the Releaser, and I will release your soul from your body!" The Duel Disk she was wearing activated. "Prepare to..."

"Not so fast, 'Releaser'." The voice seemed to chill the air. The three of us turned, to see Marc Wheeler facing towards us. He smiled as he said "Let me handle this one, girls. I've been meaning to duel her for quite some time."

Felicity looked worried, and put her hand on Marc's shoulder. It looked like she was using her mental speech powers to talk to him. Soon, she nodded, and took back her hand. "Good luck, Marc."

"Luck?" Marc smirked. "Who said I needed luck?" Cocky git. With that, the duel began.

* * *

DUEL!

The Releaser: 8000  
Marc: 8000

"I'll begin." The Releaser drew. "I'll start with Dimensional Fissure!" A tear appeared above the duel, leading to a purple void. "While this is in play, any monster sent to the Graveyard is instead removed from the game!"

"Not good." I said, worried. "A monster removed from the game makes it hard to bring back."

"I'll summon D.D. Survivor, in Attack, and place one card face-down." The Releaser continued, as the monster and the face-down appeared. (Survivor: 1800/200) "That ends my turn."

"And starts mine!" Marc drew. "I activate Hand Destruction!" Marc discarded De-Synchro and Synchro Gift, while the Releaser discarded Necroface and another D.D. Survivor.

"Now that my Necroface has been removed from play, each of us must send the top five cards of our deck out of play as well." The Releaser stated, smirking. Marc groaned, as the top five cards of his Deck-including two monsters, both of them Synchrons-were sent out of play. The Releaser wasn't so lucky-all five of her cards were monsters. But they were sneaky monsters to send out of play, as Marc would find out.

"Fine, I'll have to play Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy Dimensional Fissure." The tear above the duel sealed again. "Next, I'll discard my Quillbolt Hedgehog to summon Quickdraw Synchron, my Attack Gainer to summon the Big One Warrior, and then activate Quillbolt Hedgehog's effect to bring it straight back, since there's a Tuner in play!" The three monsters appeared at once, in a blinding light. (Quickdraw: 700/1400. Big One: 100/600. Quillbolt: 800/800) "They're not staying for long, though, as I Tune together my three monsters to form Road Warrior!" The three monsters disappeared as fast as they had appeared, with a new one-a metallic robot-appearing in their place. (3000/1500) "Plus, thanks to his effect, I can summon a Level 2 or lower Warrior or Machine-Type monster from my Deck each turn, so I'll choose Speed Warrior!" The small monster appeared on the field, seemingly grinning. The monsters were as cocky as he is-why does that not surprise me? (Speed Warrior: 900/400)

"Two monsters-I'm SO scared." The Releaser seemed to relish the challenge. I hope Mai's still in there somewhere-she'd have loved this duel.

"You should be, 'Releaser'." Marc was smirking again now. "Since my Speed Warrior was summoned this turn, I can double his ATK until the end of the turn, giving him enough power to take down your Survivor!" The Warrior blasted into the Survivor, blowing them both up. "Now my Road Warrior can attack you directly!" The Warrior shot its gun directly at the Releaser, who didn't even flinch as the shot connected. Despite her being a Shadow Rider, I'm impressed with her bravery here.

Releaser: 5000 (Battle Damage)  
Marc: 8000

"I'll end my turn there." Marc was on a roll here.

"That activates some of my monster's effects." The Releaser announced. "First, the two D.D. Scout Planes I've removed from play both return to the field." The two robots shimmered into play once more. (800/1200 each) "Next, my two D.D. Medic cards give me 1000 Life Points for each turn that they have been removed from play-and I count one turn, so that's 2000 Points!"

Marc laughed. "So sorry, 'Releaser', but I discard my Synchron's Surprise card to allow me to activate Spell or Trap Cards from my Deck or hand, as long as I have a level 7 or higher Synchro Monster in play-which Road Warrior is-and give up one thousand Life Points for each one. So my choices are Gift Card and Bad Reaction to Simochi from my Deck!"

Me, Felicity and The Releaser stood stunned by this play. Marc really seemed to hate the Releaser. I faintly said "Bad Reaction to Simochi swaps all Life Point gain to Life Point loss...and Gift Card gives The Releaser three thousand Life Points...That's enough to end this now."

"Surprised, ladies?" Marc seemed smug. "Simochi, do your thing!" The Releaser was suddenly blown backwards, only barely staying on the roof they were duelling on.

The Releaser: 0 (Gift Card and two D.D. Medics-swapped from gain to loss by Bad Reaction to Simochi)  
Marc: 6000 (Synchron's Surprise)  
Marc wins!

* * *

"One down!" Marc shouted, smiling. He turned to the Releaser, the smile gone, and his anger unmasked. "Now give her back."

"Your luck is commendable, Marc Wheeler." The Releaser sounded weakened. "But it will not save you from my comrades. One way or another, you shall return to the Shadows. But a promise is a promise." With that, the Releaser collapsed, the mask fading, to reveal the face of the girl underneath it. Marc ran over to her, as she stirred, opening her eyes to see Marc sitting next to her.

"Are you ok, Mai?" Marc said softly.

"Is...is it over?" Mai, as the girl's name was revealed to be, seemed relieved. Then she realised who was sitting by her. "Marc!" She leapt into his arms, holding him tightly to her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Marc hugged her back. "There's no reason for you to be sorry, Mai." he whispered to her, just loud enough for me to hear. "It's not your fault." He softly kissed her forehead. "I'm just glad you're OK."

"Mai!" We all turned to see Jaden running towards Mai. I felt someone wrapping their arms around me from behind-looks like Shaun took the quicker route to us.

"Are you OK, Lex?" Shaun asked me concernedly. I turned my head towards him, a smile appearing on my face.

"I'm fine, Shaun," I said softly to him, kissing his cheek. "You should go and check on Mai."

Shaun frowned, then nodded. "I should at that." He smiled slightly at me, then walked over to Mai. Felicity came over to me, looking worried.

"Now that that's been dealt with, what did you want to talk to me about?" she said. Talk about cutting to the chase.

"Well..." I hesitated. I hadn't even told Shaun this yet. "If I tell you, Felicity, you can't tell anyone else. Not even Shaun."

"I swear that this shall remain a secret." Felicity said solemnly. A change of tone came-she sounded very curious now. "Now, what was it?"

I took a deep breath. "Well, Felicity, you might want to sit down, as this might get a bit shocking..."

* * *

New Cards from this Chapter:

Synchron's Surprise  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by discarding it from your hand while you control a level 7 or higher Synchro Monster. You can pay Life Points in multiples of 1000 to activate 1 Spell or Trap Card from your Deck or your hand (regardless of turn or Phase) for each 1000 Life Points you pay.

* * *

New OCs from this Chapter

Mai Riveau  
Uses a Different Dimension Deck (yes, that was her real deck), based around removing cards from the game, to either power up her monsters, or call forth devastating combos. A very hard duellist to match.  
Personality: The life of the party, the one you can go to with your problems, and, in general, a true friend. Also seemingly able to detect magic, although that's unexplained. Her dorm has not been determined as of yet.  
Kindred Spirit: D.D. Medic

* * *

The next chapter will be "Revelations".

Note: Yes, it is a cliffhanger. No, I am not sorry.

Yes, you will find out what Alexis is telling Felicity. No, I'm not revealing what, who, why or when until Alexis is ready. (Alexis: "I'm grateful for that, Shaun.")

Yes, the updates are getting a lot less regular. No, there is no specific timeframe for when I will update.

* * *

OC applications-everyone loves it, so here it is!

You have a choice for this, one of two-Society of Light, or Shadow Knights. These appearances will be one-or possibly two, depending on over-runs-chapter(s) long, but I guarantee that they will be epic duel chapters. All I need is for the form below to be completed, and either inboxed to me, or posted with a review. Please and thank you!

I need two more Society of Light members, and three more Shadow Knights.

Name of character:

Dorm (after their battles, they may need to reappear once or twice, in dorm colours, so I'll need this):

Personality (don't make it too long, please):

Deck Type:

Kindred Spirit (The Duel Spirit that is closest to your character-"None" is NOT an option, as this will be a crucial part to unbrainwashing (is that a word? It is now) them.):

Any other details that you feel need mentioning:

* * *

Please remember to Read and Review! Next chapter soon!


	22. Revelations

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Twenty-Five! It may be called Revelations, but it may not be as revealing as you wanted it to be. New character introduced, as well as two new decks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five: Revelations  
(_Narrative PoV)_

"_You have to tell him, Alexis._" Felicity's quiet, shocked voice echoed through Alexis' mind.

Alexis shook her head wildly, responding to Felicity mentally as well. "_I can't, Felicity! He'd never look at me the same way again!_" Her face showed anguish and sadness. "_No-one's ever understood this. I haven't even told my family yet!_"

"_Alexis, listen to me._" Felicity's authoritative voice cut straight through Alexis' mind. "_He will fully understand what you are-and that you can't change it. I would offer to tell him, but he HAS to hear this from you._" Felicity's tone softened. "_This doesn't change who you are at all, Alexis. Only a fool would believe that. And Shaun's not a fool._"

Alexis smiled, hesitantly at first, then fully. "_Thank you, Felicity. You're the first person who's made me feel better about this._" She motioned towards Shaun, who was muttering what sounded like a spell, crouched next to Mai, who in turn was lying with her head in Marc's lap, while Marc was stroking her hair. "_Once he's done with Mai, I'll tell him. I promise._"

Felicity smiled, as she took her hand away from Alexis' shoulder, both girls feeling the mental link disappear. "Good idea, Alexis." We walked over to Shaun, who was still muttering his spell, which seemed to be extremely complex. Without a word, Felicity took over the spellcasting, seeming to cut Shaun out of the spell. Shaun recoiled, looking shocked, before relaxing as Alexis wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"I need to tell you something, when you've got a minute." Alexis whispered into Shaun's ear. Shaun seemed to understand that it was important, and quickly led Alexis away from the roof. Marc turned towards Felicity questioningly, with which she replied with a shake of her head, as she continued the spell Shaun had started.

* * *

...(_Some time later) (Switch to Alexis' PoV)_

"...I'm sorry, Shaun." I whispered, seeing the shock flit through Shaun's eyes after I'd finished. I was waiting for the inevitable shouting.

"How long?" he whispered back, his voice conveying shock, surprise, and something I couldn't identify. Anger, probably-although that was understandable.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. "Since I left Cardiff." I could feel the gasp of shock from him. What I wasn't expecting to feel was his arms around me. My eyes shot open, to see Shaun holding me closely, looking into my eyes. What I saw in his eyes was happiness, understanding-and acceptance. That, I was NOT expecting. "You...you don't care?"

"I wouldn't care if you were the Shadow Queen, Lexi." Shaun said, squeezing me tighter. Did he have to use that example, though? "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help you through the start of it, but I still love you. I love you for who you are, not what you are, or what you've become. And that will never change." With that said, he began to kiss me-and I kissed back, feeling as if I was in heaven. He knew what I was-and he still wanted me? Still loved me? I knew one thing now for certain-I would never leave him. Ever.

Eventually, we broke our kiss, as we sadly still needed to breathe. Shaun stared deep into my eyes, as I stared deep into his. We were both grinning like idiots, but we didn't care, as long as we still had each other. Shaun was the first to break the thoughtful silence between us. "Come on, Lex. I don't know about you, but I can't stop thinking about two things at the moment-you, and food. And, since one of those thoughts is satisfied, let's go get the other one sorted."

I laughed at that, as we started to walk towards wherever Shaun was leading us. All the while, I was thinking of what I was. "_How come he doesn't care about that part of me?_" I thought to myself. "_Everyone else I've told wants nothing more to do with me-so why is Shaun different?_" The answer came to me suddenly, and I smiled with contentment. I had realised that he had truly meant it when he said he loved me-that's why he didn't care about what I had become, as he cared about me more.

* * *

Suddenly, we saw Marc and Mai, talking quietly between themselves. Shaun stopped, looking slightly confused, before stepping out of sight, and muttering something under his breath. After that, we could hear their conversation too-sometimes, magic can be very useful.

"...The Releaser..." Mai shuddered after saying the name. "...She wanted to destroy you, Marc!"

"I know, Mai." Marc's voice was a lot less arrogant than usual-and a lot more caring. Then again, I'd only ever heard him during a duel. "But I had to face her-I couldn't let her control you. Never you."

Mai's eyes filled with tears. "But Marc..."

"But nothing." Marc's voice became slightly louder. "Mai, that vile demon was possessing you. I couldn't just stand by and watch! I had to do something! Don't you see, Mai? I couldn't let the Releaser be within you-I couldn't bear to see you even slightly hurt! I love you!" He suddenly stopped, seemingly shocked by what he had blurted out. Mai seemed shocked too-right up until she had grabbed Marc and kissed him.

Once the kiss broke apart, Mai smiled. "Took you long enough to say it." If Marc was stunned before, now he was near-literally stunned. "In case you didn't realise, Marc..." She leaned close to his ear, and whispered into it "I love you too." Moving away from Marc for a moment, she said, a bit louder this time "OK, Shaun, where are you hiding?"

"Damn." Shaun grumbled, releasing his spell, as me and him walked towards Mai and Marc, who seemed to have recovered from his shock. He spoke up as we approached, a genuine smile on his face. "Maybe I should have used a different source of magic than one that you could sense, Mai. Still, congratulations, you two."

"Th...thanks, Shaun." Marc said, seemingly stunned by shock. "_What a surprise,_" I thought, sarcastically.

Shaun's phone chose that moment to start playing "And It Was You" by Toy Horses (_Author Note: I don't own the song, but I do recommend it._) Shaun pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and put it to his ear. "Hello?" he said.

* * *

(_Switch to Shaun's PoV_)

"Hello, Shaun." That voice...I haven't heard it since I left for Duel Academy, but I'm glad to hear it, even so.

"Hey, you." I smiled as I said that. "How ya doing?"

"Oh, you know, same old, same old." The voice seemed amused. "You?"

I chuckled. "Well, you guess for yourself." I stated. My voice changed tone, from amused to serious. "Now then, there has to be a reason you called, Han."

And there was. "Well, try looking behind you, then," she said. I did-to see none other than my close friend right behind me, smiling. "Surprise." she said, hanging up on the phone.

I must have looked stupefied. "Hannah!" I shouted, smiling. "Good to see you!" I turned to Mai, Marc and Alexis. "Guys, this is Hannah Masterson, a good friend of mine from back home. Hannah, you know Alexis, of course," Hannah smiled at Lexi, who smiled back. "And these are Marc Wheeler and Mai Riveau."

"Pleased to meet you all," Hannah smiled, shaking Marc and Mai's hands.

"Right," I said, getting everyone's attention. "Who wants to get some food? I'm paying." Everyone seemed happy with that, so I led the small group to the nearest café-which happened to be one I owned, Cuisino.

* * *

(_Switch to narrative PoV_)

"So, Hannah, when did you start duelling?" Shaun asked, after everyone had finished their meals.

Hannah paused for a moment before replying. "After you left, about a year ago, everyone seemed to start duelling," she started to explain. "I found the cards you gave me for a birthday present, before you left, and built a deck out of them." She smiled. "I think it's quite good-you want to duel, Shaun?"

He didn't answer right away, as he tried to remember what cards he'd given her. As it came to him, he smiled and said "Of course, Han. It gives me a chance to try my new deck out." Him saying that seemed to draw a large crowd-after all, he had recently said that this deck would be the one that could beat the Egyptian Gods themselves, and everyone wanted to see how Shaun thought it could be done.

* * *

DUEL!

Hannah: 8000  
Shaun: 8000

"Newest student first, Han." Shaun said, smiling.

"Thanks, Shaun." Hannah smiled back. "I draw." She studied her cards. "I'll start by discarding my Legendary Plumber: Mario, in order to activate the Field Spell Comet Observatory!"

Shaun's smile grew larger, as the duel was transported to the hub area from Super Mario Galaxy (_Author Note: I do not own any Mario concept used in this chapter-or this story-but the card effects themselves are all mine._) Hannah continued "Now, Comet Observatory gives all monsters with Mario, Luigi, or Luma in their name a 400 point ATK and DEF boost. As well as that, certain Field Spells can now be played as Continuous Spell Cards instead, up to a limit of three. And my first will be Honeyhive Galaxy!" A forest in the image of a springtime day appeared in one of the Observatory's bubbles. "With this in play, I can summon Bee Mario, in Attack!" The most famous plumber in the world (_Author Note: Well, I hope that's right, at least_) appeared on the field, dressed as a bee. (2200-2600/1300-1700) "I'll play one card face-down and end my turn."

"OK then, draw!" Shaun did that, actually cheering once he saw the card he'd drawn. "Excellent-just the card I needed! I summon Lord of D., in Attack!" The dragon master appeared, ready to strike. (1200/1100) "Next, I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon!" Lord of D. was soon holding a flute carved into the shape of a roaring dragon, which he blew into. "This allows me to summon up to 2 Dragon-Type monsters from my hand. I choose Hypnosis Dragon and Nightmare Dragon!" The two dragons appeared, roaring in unison. (Both 2300/2400) "Each of these monsters have a powerful special ability. Hypnosis Dragon gives one monster per turn a Hypnosis Counter, removing that monster's right to attack, or change battle position. Nightmare Dragon can force any monster with a Hypnosis Counter into Attack, while also draining half of its ATK power into itself for a single turn." Shaun smiled. "Another thing. If the monster that Nightmare Dragon drains points from is destroyed, the points he absorb will be added to my Life Points at the end of the turn."

Hannah was still smiling. "Ah, your old Dragon combo. Too bad it won't be working this time. I trigger my Continuous trap, Star Bit Shower!" A multitude of Star Bits fell from the sky. "Thanks to this card, the only monsters that can activate their effects are monsters with Mario or Luigi in their name. But, as compensation for any monster with Luma in their name, they gain 800 ATK."

"Alright, if that's what you want, I'll just place two cards face-down and call it a turn." Shaun looked a little annoyed-if his combo could be stopped that easily, then how would it do against Yugi's Gods?

"Draw." Hannah said, in a sing-song voice, which she knew Shaun found annoying. She loved winding him up sometimes-as did a lot of people. "I activate Bee Mario's special ability, allowing me to summon a Honey Token to the field, in Defence!" A blob of honey took over a monster space. (200/200) "For each Honey Token in play, Bee Mario gains an extra 200 ATK!" (Bee Mario: 2600-2800/1700) "Next, I play my second Field Spell: Toy Time Galaxy!" A large toy train appeared in the Observatory's second bubble. "This allows me to summon Spring Mario, in Attack!" A spring appeared, bouncing around the duel space. It landed on an empty monster space, and Mario popped out of it. (2000-2400/2000-2400) "Now, by discarding a card from my hand, Spring Mario can deal you 1000 points of direct damage! Go get him, Spring Mario! Spring in your Step!" Spring Mario bounced higher and higher, before falling towards Shaun, and striking him to the ground.

Hannah: 8000  
Shaun: 7000 (Spring Mario's effect)

"Now, Bee Mario, attack his Hypnotic Dragon! Star Sting!" Hannah cried out.

"So sorry, Hannah, but I activate my trap-Super Junior Showdown!" Shaun said, smiling. "This stops your battle, and forces our weakest monsters to turn to Attack and battle each other! So your token is forced to attack my Lord of D.!" The Lord of Dragons easily destroyed the weak token. (Bee Mario: 2800-2600/1700)

Hannah: 7000 (1000 battle damage)  
Shaun: 7000

"Now, the Battle Phase ends." Shaun said smugly.

"OK then, I'll end my turn." Hannah's smile had weakened after that move.

"Draw." Shaun replied, in the same tone as Hannah had. "I play Spellbook Inside The Pot, allowing each of us to draw three new cards." They both drew. "Next, I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Star Bit Shower card!" The Star Bits littering the field shattered.

"I hate to say it, but bad play, Shaun." Alexis' voice rang out. "You could have destroyed the Comet Observatory."

"No I couldn't, Lex." Shaun retorted. "Since there's a monster with "Mario" in the name on her field, the Observatory-as well as all of her Field Spells in Spell and Trap Card Zones-are untouchable." He grabbed another card from his hand. "Now I'll activate Mass Hypnosis, giving every monster on the field a Hypnosis Counter! Well, except my Dragons, because of Lord of D.'s effect." Every monster on the field-except for Shaun's two dragons-suddenly fell asleep. "Now for Nightmare Dragon's effect-and I choose your Bee Mario!" (Bee Mario: 2600-1300/1700) (Nightmare Dragon: 2300-3600/2400) "Nightmare Dragon, take down that overgrown bee! Dream Eater!"

"Are you really that unimaginative with attack names, Shaun?" Mai said.

"Shut it, Mai." Shaun replied, sounding annoyed, as Bee Mario was destroyed.

Hannah: 4700 (2300 battle damage)  
Shaun: 7000

"Now, unfortunately, in the turn that Nightmare Dragon uses his effect, only he can attack, so I'll end my turn with a face-down." Shaun finished, as the Dragon breathed a white fire onto him, restoring some of his Life Points. (Nightmare Dragon: 3600-2300/2400)

Hannah: 4700  
Shaun: 8300 (1300 boost from Nightmare Dragon.)

"Draw." Hannah said, sounding worried-although a lot less so once she saw the card she drew. The cards she had drawn from Spellbook Inside The Pot hadn't given her a good combo-but this card had. "I activate De-Powerup, allowing me to return my Spring Mario to my Deck, to summon my Legendary Plumber: Mario back from the Graveyard!" The mentioned monster bounced back into the Deck, and Mario jumped out of the Graveyard. (1800-2200/2000-2400) "Now, I'll activate the Red Star spell, allowing me to Tribute Mario to summon Flying Mario!" Mario started spinning incredibly fast, then stopped in a new outfit, jumping into the air-and staying there. (1200-1600/3000-3400)

"Hmmm. A strong defence, but a terrible offense." Shaun commented, amused. "Yes, I know of his immunity to battle-but that's provided you have another monster on the field-and last I checked, you don't."

"I'm not done yet." Hannah interrupted. "I activate a third Continuous Field Spell-Freezeflame Galaxy!" Shaun actually gulped once he saw the icy, fiery land appear in the third Observatory bubble. "This field spell allows me to summon both Fire Mario and Ice Mario to the field, each in Attack!" The two Mario clones, each dressed in their respective power-up costumes-appeared on the field. (Each 2300-2700/1600-2000) "Now, their abilities. Fire Mario can destroy one monster on the field per turn, and Ice Mario can negate the effects of one monster per turn, until the end of the monster's owner's next turn. So I'll negate Lord of D.'s effect, and destroy your Nightmare Dragon!" Shaun's Lord was frozen in a block of ice, as Nightmare Dragon exploded.

Shaun winced as his monster was destroyed. His combo was gone, and Hannah's best combo was in play. What would he do now?

* * *

New Cards from this Chapter:

Legendary Plumber: Mario  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 1800/2000  
LIGHT-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 6  
Card Text: If this card is face-up on the field and either "Comet Observatory" or "Starship Mario" is not face-up on the field, destroy this card during the End Phase. If "Comet Observatory" or "Starship Mario" are face-up on the field and this card is in the Graveyard, this card cannot be removed from the Graveyard, except by the effect of "De-Powerup".

Comet Observatory  
Field Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by discarding either "Legendary Plumber: Mario" or "Legendary Plumber: Luigi". All face-up monsters with "Mario", "Luigi" or "Luma" in their name gain 400 ATK and DEF. While this card is face-up on the field, you can play Field Spells that mention this card in the Card Text face-up in a Spell/Trap Card Zone, as Continuous Spells. A maximum of 3 Field Spells may be active at one time by this method. While a monster with "Mario" or "Luigi" are face-up on the field, this card cannot be destroyed by a card effect. While this card remains face-up on the field, any Field Spells played by this card's effect cannot be destroyed, but when this card is removed from the field, all Field Spells played by this card's effect are destroyed. Once per turn while this card is in the Graveyard, you can remove from play 1 Field Spell with this card's name in its Card Text to draw 1 card.

Honeyhive Galaxy  
Field Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by the effect of "Comet Observatory". You can Special Summon 1 "Bee Mario" from your hand or your Deck when you activate this card. While this card is face-up on the field, all face-up "Bee Mario" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Bee Mario  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2200/1300  
EARTH-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 6  
Card Text: Once per turn while this card is face-up on the field (except for the turn in which it was Summoned), you can Special Summon 1 Honey Token (Warrior-Type/EARTH/Level 2/200 ATK/200 DEF). For each Honey Token on the field, this card gains 200 ATK and DEF.

Hypnotic Dragon  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2300/2400  
DARK-Attribute, Dragon-Type, Level 7  
Card Text: Once per turn while this card is face-up on the field, you can place 1 Hypnosis Counter on an opponent's face-up monster. While this card is face-up on the field, any monster with a Hypnosis Counter cannot attack, or change its battle position. When this card is removed from the field, remove all Hypnosis Counters from face-up monsters on the field.

Nightmare Dragon  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2300/2400  
DARK-Attribute, Dragon-Type, Level 7  
Card Text: Once per turn while this card is face-up on the field, you can select 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field with a Hypnosis Counter. That monster is placed in Attack Position, and loses half of its ATK until the end of the turn. Any points deducted by this card's effect are added onto this card's ATK until the end of the turn. If the targeted monster is not on the field at the end of the turn, the ATK that this card loses are added onto your Life Points instead. In the turn that this card uses its effect, then this monster is the only one that can attack.

Star Bit Shower  
Continuous Trap  
Card Text: While this card remains face-up on the field, the only monsters that can activate their effects are those with "Mario" or "Luigi" in their name. All face-up monsters you control with "Luma" in their name gain 800 ATK.

Toy Time Galaxy  
Field Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by the effect of "Comet Observatory". You can Special Summon 1 "Spring Mario" from your hand or Deck when this card is activated. While this card remains face-up on the field, all face-up "Spring Mario" cards you control cannot be destroyed by card effects.

Spring Mario  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2000/2000  
EARTH-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 6  
Card Text: Once per turn while this card is face-up on the field, you can discard 1 card from your hand to inflict 1000 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points. This effect can only be activated during your Main Phase.

Super Junior Showdown  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: You can activate this card when your opponent's monster declares an attack. Negate that attack. Afterwards, each player's monster with the lowest ATK are placed into Attack Position, and must battle each other. After the battle is completed, end the Battle Phase.

Mass Hypnosis  
Quick-Play Spell  
Card Text: You can only activate this card if you control a face-up "Hypnotic Dragon". Place 1 Hypnosis Counter on each monster on the field.

De-Powerup  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Return 1 monster on the field with "Mario" in its name to the Deck, and Special Summon 1 "Legendary Plumber: Mario" from your Graveyard.

Red Star  
Continuous Spell  
Card Text: Tribute 1 "Legendary Plumber: Mario" on the field, and Special Summon 1 "Flying Mario" from your Deck or hand. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the "Flying Mario" Summoned by this effect, and Special Summon 1 "Legendary Plumber: Mario".

Flying Mario  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 1200/3000  
WIND-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 6  
Card Text: This monster can only be Summoned by the effect of "Red Star". This monster can only be targeted by battle if there are no other monsters on the field. This monster can attack your opponent's Life Points directly if "Comet Observatory" is face-up on the field.

Freezeflame Galaxy  
Field Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by the effect of "Comet Observatory". You can Special Summon 1 "Fire Mario" and 1 "Ice Mario" from your hand or Deck when this card is activated. When this card is removed from the field, destroy "Fire Mario" and "Ice Mario".

Fire Mario  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2300/1600  
FIRE-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 6  
Card Text: This monster can only be summoned by the effect of "Freezeflame Galaxy". Once per turn while this monster is face-up on the field, you can destroy 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field, but you cannot declare an attack with this monster this turn if you do.

Ice Mario  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2300/1600  
WATER-Attribute, Warrior-Type, Level 6  
Card Text: This monster can only be summoned by the effect of "Freezeflame Galaxy". Once per turn while this monster is face-up on the field, you can negate the effect of 1 monster on your opponent's side of the field until the End Phase of your opponent's next turn, but you cannot declare an attack with this monster this turn if you do.

* * *

New OCs from this chapter:

Hannah Masterson  
Uses a Mario Deck, based around the Super Mario Galaxy games (which I don't own). The deck is based around Legendary Plumber: Mario and either Comet Observatory or Starship Mario (yet to be introduced).  
Personality: Usually shy and quiet, but will become a very bubbly, happy person when she's with her close friends. An emotionally and mentally strong person, too.  
Kindred Spirit: Legendary Plumber: Luigi

* * *

The next Chapter will be called "Call of the Nightmare".

Note: Well, a lot of stuff happening this chapter. We get a new pairing, a new student, and a new secret-one which I won't be revealing for a little while, so get used to the hidden-ness. Part 2 of the Mario vs the Nightmare Duel next time! Remember to Read and Review, please!


	23. Call of the Nightmare

Shaun1e here, with Chapter Twenty-Six! Another epic duel-but who wants to guess how it will end? Spoiler-I wouldn't! And yes, this chapter is short-reason is in the end note.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or the rest of the franchise, I own the OCs and the extra cards given to many characters, which will be introduced at the end of their first appearing chapter.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six: Call of the Nightmare

DUEL IN PROGRESS!

Hannah: 4700  
Shaun: 8300

Hannah has Fire Mario (2700/2000), Ice Mario (2700/2000) and Flying Mario (1600/3400) in Attack Position on the field, as well as Comet Observatory (Field Spell), Honeyhive Galaxy, Toy Time Galaxy and Freezeflame Galaxy (Continuous Spells) active. She has an empty hand.

Shaun has Hypnotic Dragon (2300/2400) and Lord of D. (1200/1100) in Attack Position on the field, together with one face-down Spell/Trap card. He also has an empty hand.

It is the start of Hannah's Battle Phase, with Fire Mario and Ice Mario unable to attack this turn, due to their effects.

* * *

"Well, Shaun, you battle well." Hannah smiled. "But it looks like it's not well enough. Flying Mario has a unique ability that only activates when my Comet Observatory's still in play. And that's the ability to attack you directly!"

"What?" exclaimed several people. Shaun was pretty sure that he heard the King of Games himself amongst the crowd. Shaun himself smirked. "Go on then, Hannah. Give it your best shot."

"Gladly." Hannah chuckled. "Flying Mario, direct attack!" The red and black-suited Mario shot into the air, then plummeted down-directly at Shaun.

"Face-down activate!" Shaun cried. "Call of the Nightmare!" The area surrounding the duel suddenly became as black as night. "This card can only be activated when my opponent declares a direct attack, and my Nightmare Dragon is in the Graveyard. I can then pay half of my Life Points to negate the attack-and destroy every card on the field!"

Hannah gasped as the nine cards on the field-except for Call of the Nightmare-shattered at once, the five monsters disappearing. "Mario!" she shouted in shock. "You'll pay for that, Shaun!"

"Will I, Han?" Shaun said, teasingly. "I forgot to mention that you now lose 300 points for each card destroyed."

Hannah could only stare in shock as her Life Points took the massive hit.

Hannah: 2000 (Call of the Nightmare)  
Shaun: 4150 (Call of the Nightmare)

"But I'm not done yet." Shaun smirked. "Now, since we took a total of more than 5000 damage, I can call forth the ultimate Nightmare creature. Come forth, my Nightmare Lord!" Suddenly, the lights re-lit themselves, showing a small goblin-like creature, completely black. (0/0)

Chazz, who had joined the crowd, laughed openly and loudly. "That's your big scary Nightmare Lord?" he jeered. "Give me a break."

"Do you remember my Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, Chazz?" Shaun responded. That shut Chazz up. "Well, this little guy's the same thing, except that he gains 500 ATK and DEF for each card destroyed by Call of the Nightmare!" The Nightmare Lord grew very quickly, until he was double the size of the two duellists. (0-4500/0-4500) "Now, this guy cannot attack you directly, but any monster he battles is removed from play, with half of their ATK coming out of your Life Points, and the other half being added to my Life Points. And this monster still deals Battle Damage, too." His smirk came back. "Sadly, my monster moves the action to your next Draw Phase, so he can't battle just yet. You're up-again."

"Thanks." Hannah said, faintly, as she drew. A small smile appeared. "I play Pot of Greed, to draw two cards." She drew, her smile growing at the results. "I activate 1-Up Mushroom, reviving my Legendary Plumber: Mario, at double strength for this turn!" The plucky plumber jumped out of the Graveyard, reenergised by the mushroom. (1800-3600-4000/2000-4000-4400)

"Nice attempt, Han." Shaun smiled. "But you're five hundred points short. A shame, that-cos if my monster's destroyed, I lose 1000 points."

"Really?" Hannah's tone of voice became a lot happier. "Then I guess me activating my Axe of Fools and equipping it to your monster would be a good idea." The Nightmare Lord picked up the axe eagerly, but soon paid for his greed, as he shrunk down to the same size as Mario. (4500-1000/4500-0) "My Axe of Fools gives your monster a 1000 ATK boost, at the cost of his effects." Hannah pointed directly at the Lord. "Mario, take him down! Star Spin Strike!" The plumber struck the Nightmare Lord, who screamed as he vanished. Shaun yelled out as his Life Points took the hit from the battle and the effect. (_Author Note: The damage effect is not affected by Axe of Fools, as it triggers from the Graveyard._)

Hannah: 2000  
Shaun: 150 (3000 battle damage, 1000 effect damage)

Shaun, who had been knocked over by the shockwave from Mario's attack, got back onto his feet, smiling. "Your monster is destroyed now, thanks to his effect," he said.

Hannah smirked. "Think again, Shaun. I'm not done yet, so Mario stays for a bit longer. I can remove from play one of my field spells in the Graveyard to draw a card once per turn, thanks to my Comet Observatory. I'll remove my Honeyhive Galaxy card to draw." She did so-and her eyes widened at the sight of the card she drew. "I activate Ectoplasmer!"

"No!" Shaun shouted, in pure shock.

"Now, I use Ectoplasmer's effect, Tributing my Mario so that he can take a 900 point chunk out of your Life Points!" Hannah shouted, delightedly. "Finish this, Mario!" Mario transformed into an orb of pure white light, which shot towards Shaun, knocking him backwards.

Hannah: 2000  
Shaun: 0 (900 damage from Ectoplasmer-750 more than required)  
Hannah wins!

* * *

The crowd stood stunned at the result of the duel. But only for a moment, as a huge cheer rose from the watching duellists, many of whom had already seen Shaun's phenomenal duelling. Shaun himself, after help getting up from Alexis, started laughing. "That was an excellent duel, Han!" he shouted. "It's been a long time since I've had that much fun duelling!"

Hannah laughed herself. "Well, I aim to please," she said, still laughing. "That's the best duel I've ever had. I'm glad I enrolled here now."

Shaun stopped laughing-with some effort-and tried to look serious. "How'd you do in your entry duel, then, Han?" he said, curiously.

Hannah opened her mouth, but didn't get a chance to answer, as someone else beat her to it. "Actually, Shaun, she hadn't had it yet." Dr Crowler's voice rang out as he approached. "But I'm willing to count that as the entry duel-it's the best I've seen in a long time." He turned to Hannah, who had caught sight of a certain blue-haired Slifer Red student looking at her in awe. She turned to Crowler when he began to speak again. "Miss Masterson, as you have defeated one of our top students..."

"Try the top student!" Jaden shouted, from across the hall.

"Yes, quite..." Crowler muttered, distractedly, before continuing what he had been saying previously. "Well, Miss Masterson, I will allow you to choose your dorm, as a reward for a near-perfect performance in both sections of the entrance test."

Hannah already knew where she wanted to start in Duel Academy-and it wasn't at the top. "Well, Dr., I would like to request I start in the Slifer Red dorm." Hannah saying this surprised everyone in the room-especially the two Slifers (Jaden and Syrus) that had just joined the group gathering near Hannah, Shaun and Alexis.

"Slifer Red?" Crowler repeated, sounding surprised.

"Yes, sir." Hannah replied, sounding respectful. "I would prefer to start from the bottom, and work my way up, rather than start at the top, and end up complacent."

Needless to say, the Obelisks-including Shaun and Alexis, who had never thought that of themselves-were surprised at that last statement. Fortunately, Chancellor Sheppard had arrived just as Hannah had said that. "Well, that's a new take on it, Hannah." he said, smiling. "However, we shall honour your request." Crowler started spluttering angrily. Sheppard turned to Crowler. "You made the offer to let her pick her dorm, Crowler, so you shouldn't complain that she didn't pick Obelisk." With that, Sheppard left, Crowler right behind him arguing.

* * *

"That guy doesn't know when to quit." Shaun commented, after everyone else had gone, leaving him, Hannah and Alexis sitting at a table in the restaurant. He turned to Hannah, a small smirk on his face. "Now, Hannah, what was the real reason for you picking Slifer Red?"

A small blush appeared on Hannah's cheeks. "It was that obvious?" Shaun nodded, and Hannah sighed. That was all Shaun needed.

"OK, who is it, Han?" Shaun chuckled.

"Wh...What do you mean?" Hannah stammered.

"Come on, Han." Shaun said, smiling. "I'm not stupid, you know. So who's caught your eye?" That last bit was said in an inquisitive tone. Alexis rested her hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.

"Let me talk to her, Shaun," she whispered. "I'll tell ya later."

Shaun nodded, as he stood up. "Well, Han, you got lucky. After all, I've got a tournament to sort out for tomorrow." He pecked Alexis on the cheek, before turning back to Hannah. "Oh, by the way, I've got a spare slot in the tournament-you want in?"

"You need to ask?" Hannah giggled. "Of course!"

"OK, I'll go tell your opponent before I turn in, then." Shaun smiled, before walking away. "Night, you two."

"Night, Shaun." they chorused. Alexis then turned to Hannah.

"You willing to tell me, Hannah?" She asked, quietly. Hannah nodded.

"I don't know his name, Alexis," she said, just as quietly, "but he's in Slifer, and has blue hair." Alexis looked shocked-but only briefly. She then smiled happily. "Well, there's only one Slifer with blue hair, and his name's Syrus Truesdale. He's a great person, but he's very shy. Then again, I remember you being shy yourself, Hannah." She stood, and Hannah stood too. "Come on-I'll show you to the dorms." They walked out of the restaurant, not noticing the creature hiding on the ceiling of the restaurant.

"Mission completed." The creature buzzed, as it skittered across the room, towards the door. "Must report to Master."

* * *

New Cards from this Chapter:

Call of the Nightmare  
Counter Trap  
Card Text: Activate only when your opponent's monster declares a direct attack. Pay half your Life Points. Negate the attack, and destroy every card on the field. Inflict 300 points of Direct Damage to your opponent for each card destroyed. If the total Life Point loss taken by both players equals 5000 or more, you can Special Summon 1 "Nightmare Lord" from your hand or your Deck.

Nightmare Lord  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 0/0  
DARK-Attribute, Fiend-Type, Level 11  
Card Text: This monster can only be Summoned by the effect of "Call of the Nightmare". This monster gains 500 ATK and DEF for each card destroyed with the "Call of the Nightmare" used to Special Summon this monster. When this monster on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, the controller of this card at the time it was destroyed takes 1000 points of Direct Damage to their Life Points.

1-Up Mushroom  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Special Summon 1 "Legendary Plumber" monster from your Graveyard. Its original ATK is doubled until the End Phase of this turn.

* * *

The next chapter will be "Second Verse, Same as the First!".

Note: Isn't it ironic that the person whom I based my latest OC off can't even play Yu-Gi-Oh? And yet the OC turns out to be an exceptional duellist. Who knew?

Yes, I thought that Syrus seemed a little lonely. After all, his closest friend, Jaden, has someone, so I thought it was only natural that Sy get someone too. Not for a few chapters, mind.

And what is that creature? Who is its "Master"?

* * *

I regret to announce that I am placing this story on Hiatus. I really need to concentrate on school work for the foreseeable future, so I have to make sacrifices for that to happen. I apologise to all my loyal readers, and I promise to update when I am able to.

Please remember to Read and Review!


	24. Second Verse, Same as the First!

Heya! Shaun1e here once more, with Chapter Twenty-Seven! Another portion of duelling goodness for you-although it's not entirely what you were expecting. For that, I blame Hannah. Why? Well, read on and find out!

**Disclaimer:** All I own is the plot of this story, my many OCs, and the large multitude of cards I have created.

**ALERT!** Any card ideas you want me to try and include, feel free to send 'em to me! If I can fit them in without ruining a deck by doing so (and that isn't easy to do with a single card), then I will!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Second Verse, Same as the First!_  
(Shaun's PoV, next day)_

I looked over the main arena of Duel Academy, making sure it was ready for the four duels that would be taking place later on, when I heard someone approach me. I turned to see Syrus standing behind me, looking rather nervous.

"Hey Sy!" I said, smiling. "What can I help you with?"

I could probably guess-after all, I had told him last night that he indeed had an opponent today. "Well, Shaun..." he started. "I was wondering if you could...introduce me to Hannah."

OK, so that wasn't what I was expecting-after all, I was expecting Syrus to try to pull out of the tournament. "And why would you want that, then, Sy?" I asked, sounding confused.

Syrus looked rather uncomfortable after I asked that. That fact, combined with his hesitation, allowed me to figure it out. "Aww, does little Syrus have a crush on little Hannah?" I asked, teasingly. Syrus' face turned a rather interesting shade of pink.

"N...no I don't!" He stammered. That was all the confirmation I needed.

"Aww, don't be like that, Syrus." I sat down on the edge of the arena, motioning to Syrus to do the same. I continued, in a semi-sarcastic tone. "You forget that I can spot love a mile off." Syrus looked down, saying nothing. I continued. "I reckon that all you'd have to do to get Hannah's attention is to do well in your duel later." Actually, I'd been rather mean here. I'd told Sy that he had an opponent for later today. What I HADN'T mentioned is just who the opponent actually was. I thought briefly about telling him, but decided against it for now. He would just start beating himself up (not literally!) earlier rather than later.

Syrus looked up, hope dancing the tango in his eyes. "You think so, Shaun?"

"Syrus, I know so." I said, smiling. "After all, when Lexi wasn't around, Han was my best friend. Still is, technically." I stood, muttering a spell under my breath. A clipboard appeared in my hand, as did two tickets to a McFly concert. (_Author Note: I am not in McFly, nor do I own any rights to them._) I handed them to Syrus. "Here, Sy. Give one of those to her-and ask her to go with you. She loves that band." Syrus took the tickets, smiling, then ran off excitedly. I chuckled, thinking "_Ahh, young love. The sweetest of all._" I smiled, watching where Syrus had ran for a moment, then turned back to the arena-to see Hannah standing right behind me. "Yah!" I shouted, stumbling backwards. I regained my balance quickly, though, putting my "annoyed" face on. "Hannah, you know I hate it when you do that!"

"Sorry, Shaun," she said, smiling.

"No you're not, Han," I countered, chuckling. I looked up at the stands, to see them filling with people. Looks like it's almost showtime. "Whatcha want, then?"

"Am I not allowed to see my best friend without a reason, Shaun?" Hannah's smile did slip slightly, though-she's hiding something.

"Not when you scare me like that, Hannah." I said, seriously. A smile stirred. "If that's all you wanted, though, then that's fine by me." The smile I had hidden burst forth, as I half-turned to the stadium stage. "Well, it looks like it's time to shine. So sorry, Han-mind if we talk later?" I didn't give her a chance to answer, as I stepped onto the stage, a conjured microphone in my hand.

"Greetings, Duel Academy!" I shouted to the crowd, to a loud cheer. "It's that time again-welcome to Round Two's second day!" The crowd cheered louder-a perfect atmosphere for my next announcement. "I'm afraid that today's planned duel between me and Yugi Muto has been postponed, in favour of a more important match-up." The crowd silenced quickly. "It seems that there was a glitch in my tournament database yesterday-rather embarrassing, actually." At that, the crowd laughed. "It seems that there are in fact sixteen competitors in this round, rather than the fifteen that there were originally. Thus, Game Four today will be a duel between Slifer Red duellist Syrus Truesdale, and the newest Slifer Red in the school, Hannah Masterson!"

* * *

(_Narrative PoV_)

To say this stunned Syrus-who was listening from just outside the stadium-was an understatement. "I've got to face Hannah?" he whispered to himself, the tears starting to form. "What if she finds me pathetic when I lose?" A more disturbing thought occurred to him. "_What if she doesn't want to be near me if I win?_"

"Syrus?" The one voice he didn't want to hear came from behind him. Hannah was next to him in a moment, not having heard Syrus' muffled sobs until she was next to him. "Hey, what's wrong, Syrus?"

Syrus' head turned towards Hannah, the tears still there. "I..."

"Lemme guess, Sy." Hannah said, kindly. "You're nervous for later, right?"

"Y...yeah." Syrus stammered, slowly. "A..after all, you've beaten Shaun. How am I supposed to win?"

Hannah steered him to a windowsill large enough to sit on, sitting him down before sitting herself, next to him. "Syrus, you can't believe you're gonna lose. If you do, that's a huge boost to the opponent."

"I know I can't duel well, though." Syrus said despondently. "I haven't got a hope!"

"Tell me this, Syrus." Hannah smiled gently. "If you can't duel well, how did you get this far?" Syrus thought about it for a moment, then realised that she was right. Hannah continued. "If it helps, I'm as nervous as you."

"Re...really, Hannah?" Syrus asked timidly.

"Sure, Sy." She kept her smile. "After all, I've never seen you duel, so I don't know a thing about your deck. I like to know that in advance." She wasn't about to reveal the real reason for her being nervous.

"It didn't seem to affect you against Shaun, though." Syrus ventured.

"Ah, but he's used his Nightmare Deck before, so I knew how to beat it." Hannah giggled. "Plus, you know how my deck works, so you know how to stop it." Hannah's current smile widened. "Well, Sy, I don't know about you, but I wanna go watch the duels. You coming?"

Syrus stood up, smiling slightly. "Yeah, sure." Together, they headed up to the stadium's stands, sitting together and alone. It appeared as if they were just in time to catch the start of the second duel, Craig having barely won against Bastion. Sartorius and Hassleberry were ready to duel, having drawn their initial hands.

"Who do you think will win, Sy?" Hannah asked the blue-haired Slifer.

Syrus thought about it for a moment. "I don't know, Han." Hannah noticed that Syrus had called her by her nickname, and blushed slightly-a blush that only Shaun, watching them covertly from the other side of the arena, spotted. Chuckling, he turned to the duel.

* * *

DUEL!

Hassleberry: 8000  
Sartorius: 8000

"I'll begin things!" Hassleberry drew. "Gilasaurus, front and centre!" The small dinosaur appeared, snapping his jaws. (1400/400) "Now, I tribute my Gilasaurus, to call forth Dark Driceratops!" The small dinosaur disappeared, to be replaced with a bird-like monster, with feathers ranging in colour from yellow to purple poking out from its face. (2400/1500)

"How come Hassleberry summoned twice?" Syrus asked Hannah, shyly.

"Well, Sy," Hannah started, "Gilasaurus can be summoned for free. The only cost is that your opponent can summon any monster from their Graveyard."

"But Sartorius has no monsters in his Graveyard-so he can summon it without that cost?" Syrus queried.

"Yep!" Hannah smiled at Syrus, then turned back to the duel, completely missing Syrus' blush.

"_She smiled at me!_" Syrus shouted excitedly in his mind. On the other end of the hall, both Felicity and Shaun heard the mental shout.

"_When I get a chance, I am teaching everyone how to put mental shields up._" grumbled Felicity.

"_Good on ya, Sy._" Shaun smiled, eyes still on the duel. He spoke mentally to Felicity. "_Don't grumble, you-it's bearable, I promise._" His reply was a mental snort from her. Laughing quietly, he returned his attention to the duel.

"I'll set two cards, and end my turn." Hassleberry concluded.

"I draw." Sartorius looked carefully at his hand. "I summon Arcana Force I-The Magician, in Attack!" The monster appeared, its card spinning above its head. (1100/1100)

"I hate these." Syrus whimpered.

"So do I, Sy." Hannah said, putting her arm around him. Somehow, Syrus missed that. "Let's hope Tyranno's dinos can tear them apart." She giggled. "Hey, I rhymed! Twice!" Syrus laughed at that.

"Now, Tyranno, pick your destiny." Sartorius said. "Just say Stop."

"Alright, stop!" The card stopped...right side up.

"A good choice. For me." Sartorius smirked. "When The Magician is right-side-up, his attack doubles for the turn when either of us plays a spell card-like this Cup of Ace, for example." The cup appeared, spinning in the air. "You know what this one does, so just say it."

"Stop!" The cup stopped, and its contents poured over Sartorius and his monster, as Sartorius drew. (Magician: 1100-2200/1100) "You're still 200 short."

"I'm not done yet. Next, I play Suit of Sword X!"

"OK, even I didn't think Sartorius was brave enough to use that one." Shaun said to Alexis, who was sat next to him."

"Why not?" Alexis wrapped her arm around him, and Shaun returned the gesture.

"Well, depending on the direction of the card now, either Hassleberry loses every monster he controls, or Sartorius does."

"Ouch." Alexis looked shocked. "Talk about game-changing."

"Alright, Hassleberry, select your fate." Sartorius grinned.

"Stop the card!" Hassleberry shouted. Everyone watched with bated breath as the card ground to a halt-right-side up. "Sam Hill!"

"It seems fate is not with you, young one." Sartorius smirked, as the swords skewered Hassleberry's Driceratops, destroying it instantly. "Now, my Magician. Direct attack!" The Magician charged a beam of white light, which struck Hassleberry.

"Ooof! Easy, soldier!" Hassleberry cried.

Hassleberry: 5800 (2200 battle damage)  
Sartorius: 8000

"I'll place one card face-down, and end my turn." Sartorius continued. (Magician: 2200-1100/1100)

"_Give me luck, deck of mine!_" Hassleberry thought, as he drew. A small smile appeared at the sight of the card. "Alright, I play Monster Reborn, to bring back my Driceratops!" The bird-dinosaur reappeared, as the Magician fed off the power of the Spell card. (Driceratops: 2400/1500; Magician: 1100-2200/1100) "Next, I play another Gilasaurus, in Attack!" A second mini dinosaur appeared, raring to go. (1400/400) "Then, I'll play Block Attack, forcing your Magician into Defence!" The Magician crossed its arms and kneeled down. "Now, my Driceratops, forward march! And this dino deals damage, even through defence!" Sartorius' eyes widened, just before the Magician was destroyed.

"I activate Major Arcana, protecting my Life Points at the cost of me removing my monster from play instead of sending it to the Graveyard. As well as that, my card gains two Arcana Counters." (Major Arcana: 2 Arcana Counters)

"Any idea what that does, Han?" Syrus asked, less timidly than before.

"Not a clue, Sy." Hannah looked worried. "I just hope that whoever faces him next is ready for it."

"You think Hassleberry will lose?" Syrus looked more worried than Hannah.

"I'm not sure he can pull this one off-Sartorius seems extraordinarily lucky." "_Or maybe he's manipulating Fate. Please let it be the former._" Hannah turned back to the duel, not noticing Shaun snap a picture on his long-range camera.

"_Hehehe...if they're not together by the end of the day, I now have a way to do it._" Shaun thought, as he tucked the camera away.

"Gilasaurus still has an attack, Sartorius." Hassleberry reminded him, grinning. "Quick march!" The small dinosaur bit Sartorius' duel disk, causing a cry of anger from the white-jacketed manager.

Hassleberry: 5800  
Sartorius: 6600 (1400 battle damage)

"One face-down concludes my manuevers for the turn." Hassleberry said, smiling openly now.

Sartorius drew. Unnoticed by all except Shaun and Felicity, a sinister white light surrounded him. Shaun only saw it for a moment, but it was enough for him to recognise it.

"_Felicity!_" Shaun shouted with his mind. "_Please tell me you saw that._"

"_If you mean Sartorius' light show, yes I did._" She sounded fearful. "_That looked a whole lot like that Society of Light field spell._"

"_I saw it too, Shaun._" Mai's mental voice echoed in his mind. Shaun frowned-if Mai could see it, it must have been powerful.

"_Looks like we found ourselves a Society Chairman, then._" Shaun concluded, turning to watch Sartorius again.

"Well, playtime is over, Mr Hassleberry." Sartorius grinned, looking very sinister. "I activate the Field Spell Echoes of Light!" Six pillars of light appeared around the duel arena. "For each LIGHT-Attribute monster I summon-in any way-one of these pillars will charge with powerful energy. Once a pillar is charged, I can use its energy to activate my Field Spell's effects. Now, I'll summon Arcana Force Defender, in Defence!"

"Arcana Force what?" Shaun asked out loud, mystified (for once) about the identity of a card.

"That can't be good." Syrus said, actually shaking.

"Hey, Sy, don't worry," Hannah tried to comfort Syrus, giving him a one-arm hug. "I'm sure Hassleberry can crush it." "_But not with that field spell in play-and Sartorius' power,_" she thought, truly fearful within her mind. "_I thought I'd escaped that power-is it trying to find me?_"

The creature itself appeared, itself a man dressed in a white cloak, holding a shield in front of him. (250/2800) Sartorius spoke again, as one of his Spell's pillars started glowing brighter (Echoes of Light: 1 Counter) "With one pillar active, all of my LIGHT monsters gain an extra 200 ATK and DEF." (Defender: 250-450/2800-3000) "Also, when I summon a LIGHT monster, my Major Arcana gains an Arcana Counter, making three on my card!" A third light on the eight-light wheel lit up. "Now, I place one of my cards face-down, and pass back over to you. But I will win, as Fate decrees it."

"Not if I can help it," Hannah whispered, making an instant decision, as a strange white light, different to the one that bathed Sartorius, glowed around her. Mai, who was a few seats back from Hannah, spotted the light.

"_What's going on?_" Mai wondered. "_She isn't a magician-I'd have sensed her power straight away if she was. So what's that glow?_"

"I draw!" "_Please, please, please..._" Hassleberry looked at his card in shock-good shock, though. "_Bingo!_" "I activate the Spell Card Cretaceous Catastrophe!" To say Sartorius looked shocked was the world's most prolific understatement. The same applied to the crowd-especially Shaun, Felicity and the Society of Light that had been converted. The only person that wasn't stunned was Hannah, who was watching the action now with a small smile. "This card completely wipes the field, taking 500 points from both of our scores for each card destroyed!" The field flashed white, then re-appeared-completely empty. Both players suddenly staggered from the force of the field-wipe.

Hassleberry: 2300 (3500 from Cretaceous Catastrophe)  
Sartorius: 3100 (3500 from Cretaceous Catastrophe)

"Plus, when my face-down was destroyed, it activated. And it was Jurassic Spike Trap, so you lose another 500 points for each dino in the graveyard-and I count three!" Sartorius was stunned rigid at this point.

Hassleberry: 2300  
Sartorius: 1600 (1500 from Jurassic Spike Trap)

"So now, I can summon Kabazauls," Hassleberry stated, smirking (1700/1500) "and finish this! Forward march, Kabazauls!" The dinosaur rammed into Sartorius, knocking him over-painfully.

Hassleberry: 2300  
Sartorius: 0 (1700 battle damage-100 more than required)  
Hassleberry wins!

* * *

One thing that the crowd was good at. Silence. They stood (or sat), shocked, for a few seconds. Then the cheering began, as Sartorius slowly got to his feet. "An impressive show, Tyranno Hassleberry." he said, with a strange smile on his face. "I am sure we shall meet again soon." With that, he strode out of the arena, his thoughts in turmoil.

Shaun conjured up another microphone, preparing to speak into it. "Wow. What an engaging duel! I hate to say it, Craig and Bastion, but that made your duel look almost tame in comparison!" The crowd cheered at that, even Craig and Bastion. "Now, like yesterday, I think it's time for a lunch break. This will last until 1pm-which is an hour and a half away. Plenty of time, I think. Go and enjoy yourselves for a bit-ALL of you." He emphasised that last bit with a pointed look at Syrus and Hannah-which only those two noticed. He then smiled and waved to the crowd, before leaving with Alexis.

* * *

Very soon, the arena was almost empty. Still in their seats, Syrus looked at Hannah, and Hannah looked at Syrus.

"What do you think he meant by enjoying ourselves then, Sy?" Hannah asked, a gleam in her eyes-which Syrus somehow missed.

"Ummm...well..." Syrus stammered. "_You'll have to ask her sometime, so it might as well be now!_" "Well, Hannah..." He pulled the tickets from a pocket, and her eyes widened.

"Those...are those McFly tickets?" Hannah squealed. If they were, she was calling Heaven and finding out who her guardian angel was-they were meant to be sold out!

"Umm..yeah." Syrus mumbled. He gained enough courage to say "I was wondering...if you might want to...go with me..." His face burned red.

So did Hannah's-but only for a second. "Are you...asking me out, Syrus Truesdale?" she asked, teasingly. She didn't give him time to answer before answering herself. "And yes, Syrus. I'd love to."

Syrus' eyes widened. "Re...really, Han?"

"Really, Sy." She pulled him in for a hug and, after a brief moment of shock, he returned it. She smiled, close to his face, whispering to him "And what did I say about confidence?" She broke the hug and pulled him out of his seat, a large smile on her face. "Let's go eat, Sy." Together, they almost skipped out of the arena together, smiling and laughing. But watching them from her seat in the arena, Mai was more confused than ever.

"_How the heck did she do that during the duel?_" She was completely mystified-and that was very difficult to do, as she knew all about the mystic powers of the Earth, and how they manifested themselves-and what Hannah had seemingly done was not something that she had ever seen before. Then again, Sartorius' power was definitely otherworldly, so maybe Hannah's was too. She finally came to a decision, as she stood. "_Shaun needs to know. He knows Hannah better than I do-maybe he knows what she did._" As she left the stadium, she couldn't possibly be aware of a dark presence watching her from the shadows near the door.

"So she has seen the Hand of Fate at work" the shadowy figure muttered to itself. "Unfortunate. But not, thankfully, damaging to the Thread of Time." The figure vanished as swiftly as it had appeared earlier.

* * *

New Cards introduced:

Major Arcana  
Continuous Trap  
Card Text: Each time you Summon (in any way) a LIGHT-Attribute monster, place 1 Arcana Counter on this card. Once per turn, when an "Arcana Force" monster you control would be destroyed in a battle that would cause you to lose Life Points, you can remove the destroyed monster from play instead of sending it to the Graveyard to negate the damage. If you do this, at the end of the Battle Phase, place 2 Arcana Counters on this card. You can send this card with 8 or more Arcana Counters to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Arcana Force Major" monster from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard, ignoring all Summoning conditions.

Echoes of Light  
Field Spell  
Card Text: For each LIGHT monster summoned while this card is in play (by this card's controller only), place 1 Light Counter on this card (max. 6). This card accumulates effects based on the number of Light Counters on this card:  
-1: All LIGHT monsters gain 200 ATK and DEF.  
-2: When a LIGHT monster is Summoned, you can destroy 1 card on the field.  
-3: Once per turn, any LIGHT monster controlled by the controller of this card can attack its opponent directly. If it does, any Battle Damage from the battle is halved.  
-4: Once per turn, you can Special Summon a LIGHT monster from your Graveyard in face-up Attack Position. Its effects are negated.  
-5: LIGHT monsters' effects cannot be negated, except by the effect of this card. In addition, LIGHT monsters cannot be affected by your opponent's card effects.  
-6: You can send this face-up card you control to the Graveyard to Special Summon as many LIGHT monsters as possible from your Deck or Graveyard, ignoring all Summoning conditions.

Cretaceous Catastrophe  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: You can only activate this card if more than three turns in total have elapsed since the start of the duel, your opponent has more Life Points than you, and you have at least 1 Dinosaur-Type monster on the field. Destroy every card on the field, and inflict 500 Life Points of damage on both players for each card on the field at the time of this card's activation.

Jurassic Spike Trap  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: When this Set card is removed from the field by a card effect, inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent for each Dinosaur-Type monster in your Graveyard at the time of this card's destruction. This card's activation and effect form their own Chain, and cannot be chained to by any other card.

_

* * *

Next Time:_ What was that about the Hand of Fate? Shaun confronts Hannah about what Mai saw, and we find out about Mai's abilities too. Elsewhere, we get a glimpse into Zane Truesdale's mind, in Echoes of the Past!

Note: Well, that was interesting. We get a small glimpse of a new force in Duel Academy, and also what I think is a sweet pairing. Eventually, I will have to name these pairings.

Yes, this story is back! Updates will be VERY sporadic, though. Blame school-I do.

* * *

Read and Review! Thank you!  
(Hannah: Hey Shaun, you rhymed!)


	25. Echoes of the Past

Heya! Shaun1e here once more, with Chapter Twenty-Eight! The revelations I promised last time-although (_**SPOILER!**_) some might say it was a...fateful...revelation.

Of course, I've technically already spoiled one of the revelations. A cookie for those who can figure out where.

**Disclaimer:** Unless it's in the "New Cards/OCs introduced this chapter" of any chapter so far, I don't own it. I do own the storyline used, though.

**ALERT!** Any card ideas you want me to try and include, feel free to send 'em to me! If I can fit them in without ruining a deck by doing so (and that isn't easy to do with a single card), then I will!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Echoes of the Past

Zane Truesdale stood near the lighthouse that had become known as "Zane's Spot", staring out to sea. He was reflecting on the duel he would face later, against a Chazz that seemed a lot more crazy than usual. Then again, he had faced weirder opponents. His first Pro League victory-against someone who called themselves "The Ruler" sprang to mind, and Zane couldn't help but chuckle at the match he had faced. For his first Pro League victory, it wasn't that hard-won, although it was a bit worrying near the end...

* * *

FLASHBACK!

DUEL!

Zane: 4200  
The Ruler: 1800

Zane has Cyber Twin Dragon (2800/2100) on the field, in Attack, Future Fusion active (target: Cyber Twin Dragon) and two face-down cards. He has one card in his hand.  
The Ruler's field is empty, but he has four cards in his hand.  
It is The Ruler's turn, in the Draw Phase.

"An impressive feat, I must admit." The Ruler said, drawing his card. "Not many are able to weaken me as you have, Zane Truesdale. But this card will change things-Ancient Rules!" The scroll appeared, then disintegrated into sparkles of white light. "This enables me to summon a Level 5 or higher non-effect monster from my hand, with no restrictions. My choice is Doma, the Angel of Silence!" The dark fairy appeared, grinning. (1600/1400)

"Is that all?" Zane asked, in his serious voice.

"Not at all, young duellist." The Ruler seemed to be mocking him. "I will now Tribute my Doma, to summon Zaborg, the Thunder Monarch!" The monarch appeared, lightning coursing through it. (2400/1000) "My monarch can destroy one card upon being summoned, so say goodbye to your Dragon!" The Cyber Twin Dragon suddenly overloaded and was destroyed, the Future Fusion card going with it. "Next, I play Monster Reborn, bringing back my Kuraz, the Light Monarch!" The glowing Monarch appeared. (2400/1000) "He allows me to destroy two cards on the field when he's summoned, at the cost of the loser of the card drawing one card to replace the card destroyed." Zane's two cards were destroyed but, as one was Energy Store (set two turns previously), Zane gained 2000 Life Points from it. He also drew the requisite two cards.

Zane: 6200 (Energy Store)  
The Ruler: 1800

"Now, I'll equip my Kuraz with Draining Gift, taking his effects and replacing them with an 800 point boost in ATK!" The Ruler continued, as Kuraz became stronger. (2400-3200/1000) "My monsters, attack!" The two monarchs shot forwards and launched themselves into Zane.

Zane: 600 (5600 battle damage in total)  
The Ruler: 1800

"I'll end my turn by playing one card face-down." The Ruler smirked. "Face it, Zane. You cannot defeat me!"

"Do you brag every time you think you've won?" Zane asked, as he drew. "I activate Cyber Regeneration, paying half my points to bring back all three of my Cyber Dragons." The three dragons appeared from the grave, roaring. (2100/1600(?)) "I then play Power Bond, fusing them together to form the Cyber End Dragon!" The three dragons disappeared in a flash of white light, reappearing merged together. (4000-8000/2800) "Then, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your face-down card." The card, which was revealed to be Draining Shield, was shattered. The Ruler looked flabbergasted at Zane's success as he continued. "Now, Cyber End Dragon, finish this! Super Strident Blast!" The dragon charged an energy beam, which it then fired at the Thunder Monarch, causing an explosion which knocked The Ruler backwards a fair way.

Zane: 300 (300 cost from Cyber Regeneration)  
The Ruler: 0 (5600 battle damage-3800 more than required)  
Zane wins!

(FLASHBACK ENDS)

* * *

"_Since then, I've won every duel I've been in._" Zane mused further. "_But now I'm facing my biggest challenge yet. True, he may not be part of that Society anymore, but he is still a formidable duellist._" (_Author Note: Chazz was released from the Society's control between Chapters Fourteen and Eighteen. A later chapter will explain how._) He turned from the sea, and started to walk back to the arena, preparing mentally for his duel.

* * *

(_Elsewhere_)

Shaun and Alexis walked along the beach at the west end of Academy Island, speaking softly to each other, when they heard a shout nearby. "Shaun!" The mentioned person frowned for a moment.

"That sounded like Mai." Shaun commented. "Wonder what she wants." He was about to find out, as Mai was running towards them. Shaun slowed her running with his powers so that she wouldn't injure anyone-especially herself. "Wotcha want, Mai?" he asked her.

"Huff...puff..." Seems Mai was still tired out from her run. She recovered rather quickly, though. "Shaun, during the duel, I spotted a magical disturbance."

"So did I." Shaun seemed a little impatient. "It was Sartorius."

"...OK then, _two_ magical disturbances." Mai snapped, before calming down. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Don't worry about it, Mai." Alexis spoke up. "Just tell us what you saw." Shaun turned to Alexis in wonder, amazed for a moment at her tone, then smiled and turned to Mai, who began to tell the story of what had happened...

* * *

"...And I've been wondering about it since." Mai concluded. "I thought you'd know the most about it, so I came to find you."

"Hmmm." Shaun looked deep in thought. "And you say you couldn't identify it?"

"Nope." Mai looked troubled. So did Shaun. Alexis, however, just looked confused.

"Mai, you're not a magician, correct?" she asked. Mai nodded. "Then how can you see magic?"

Mai hesitated for a moment, then replied "Alexis, I was born to magical parents. However, I was born with the ability to see magic, but not use it like most magical children"

Alexis nodded to that. While she had been stunned by Shaun's revelation, she was more or less used to the magical world by now, thanks to her and Shaun's relationship, so she merely understood it instead of being shocked by it.

Mai continued. "Anyway, as I was saying..."

"Yes, thanks Mai." Shaun smiled for a moment, then the smile vanished. "I have no idea what this could be-I've never heard anything like it."

"That's what I was afraid of." Mai's face said it all. "We have to find out what's up, Shaun."

"Agreed," he replied. "I'll talk to her when I get a chance."

Nodding, Mai stood up from the rock they had been sitting on. "That was all I wanted, Shaun," she said. "I'm gonna go find Marc for a bit now."

"Feel free," Shaun said, smirking, as she ran off. He turned to Alexis. "You don't mind if I go and look for Hannah, do you?"

"Of course not, Shaun." Alexis smiled, as she leaned in for a kiss. Of course, Shaun obliged. "See ya later, Lexi," he said, after they broke apart and he vanished.

For a moment, Alexis stared at where Shaun had been before he had vanished. She then sighed. "_So many troubles, in such a small time,_" she thought, a tear in her eye. "_When will it stop, and when will we all be able to just exist in peace?_" She sighed-again-before walking towards the main building, lost in thought.

* * *

Walking through the Ether (_Author Note: The Ether is the medium that teleporters travel through, and is essentially an overlapping dimension of the natural dimension, with Ether travellers able to see things in the natural dimension through the Ether. From the perspective of the person travelling, the journey takes no time in the real world, but the normal time in the Ether. Well, that's how I see it working, at least._), Shaun hunted for Hannah, who he assumed would be with Syrus. When he found Hannah, he wasn't disappointed, as he found them together, sitting on a bench overlooking the lake in front of the Obelisk Blue dorms. He smiled-it had been a long time since he could just relax with his loved one. "_Although I hate to break this happy couple apart-even for a moment-I'll have to talk to Hannah sooner or later-so better sooner._" Shaun appeared near the bench, just out of sight of the couple, and walked towards them-to see Syrus and Hannah locked together in a gentle kiss.

"_Awww._" Shaun thought, smiling widely. "_They look perfect together._" Just then, the kiss broke, and Hannah caught sight of Shaun, gasping. Syrus spun round, spotting Shaun too.

"Hey, lovebirds," Shaun said teasingly. Their faces turned an interesting shade of red.

"H...hey Shaun." Syrus stammered.

I chuckled. "You're too easily embarrassed, guys," I said, smiling. I turned to face Hannah as well. "Did you two enjoy that last duel?"

If he'd have blinked, Shaun wouldn't have spotted Hannah's eyes widening slightly. "It was a bit short for my liking, to be honest, Shaun," she said, a little confused.

"Come on, Han, I liked it." Syrus wrapped an arm around Hannah. "Why do you ask, Shaun?"

"Well, actually," Shaun started, "Mai came to see me earlier. She said she spotted a couple of magical disturbances during the duel. One was from Sartorius, just before he played his Echoes of Light card. And the other was just before Hassleberry drew his last card."

"Very interesting, Shaun, but why do we need to know?" Hannah queried. She hoped the next answer wasn't the one she thought it would be.

"Because, Han," Shaun hesitated, then continued. "The second disturbance...was from you."

"Me?" Hannah asked. Shaun could pick up on a slightly defeated tone in her voice, and nodded in response to her question.

"But...how?" Syrus asked, looking at Hannah. "You're not a magician, are you?"

"I wish I was, Sy." Hannah frowned. "It would make this next bit easier to explain."

Shaun was afraid of her saying something like that. "What is it, Han?" She looked scared of saying it. "I won't judge you, whatever it is. We need to know, Han."

She still looked worried. Syrus spoke up. "Please, Hannah, tell us."

"I've got a better idea, Sy." Hannah spoke up. "Shaun, can you show Sy what I show you?"

Shaun knew what Hannah meant. "Yes, Han, I can." Smiling slightly, Hannah opened her mind to Shaun, flooding his-and by extension, Syrus'-mind with her memories.

* * *

_Shaun and Syrus stood within a white room, completely bare of anything-or anyone. The only way in or out of the room was a door on each side._

"_Why do you think we're here, Shaun?" Syrus asked, worried-although he did well to hide it. "And where is here?"_

"_I don't know, Sy." Shaun replied. A flicker of movement caught his eye. "Looks like we're about to find out, though." Three figures appeared at one of the two doors, walking towards the other one. None of the figures saw the two boys, who followed them, listening to the conversation._

"_...We have to do this, Artemis." The middle figure, which they now recognised as the Society's leader, spoke._

"_It is too risky, my friend," he replied. "The girl is too weak to control the power we need to give her."_

"_Ten pounds says they're talking about Hannah," Shaun whispered to Syrus. Of course, the people talking could not hear them._

"_Then she will need to learn to control that power!" Sartorius all but shouted. "We need the Hand of Fate under our control!"_

_Shaun gasped. "No...they didn't!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone come out of the other door and try to run past the three Society members already in the room. Of course, she was caught by the third figure, who hadn't spoken once._

"_Ah, thank you, Regulus." Sartorius smiled. "Now, Hannah, I'll guess you heard what was just said."_

"_Why are you doing this, Sartorius?" Hannah shouted desperately._

"_It is not just for me that I am doing this, but for the Society of Light." Sartorius explained, eyes never leaving Hannah's. "Once we control the Hand of Fate, we will be able to control the world, and they shall all see the Light!"_

"_Sartorius," Hannah whispered, quietly, "you're delusional. Fate doesn't exist. We make our own destiny."_

_Sartorius smiled. To Shaun and Syrus, who were watching, stunned by the revelations, it seemed very...sinister. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong, dear Hannah," he whispered back. "Everything is predetermined by destiny. And your destiny is to be the Hand of Fate."_

"_But what if I reject the power, Sartorius?" Hannah asked. "After all, the Hand of Fate must accept her power willingly."_

"_But you won't." Sartorius chuckled. "After all, it would be rather...unlike your family...to refuse power when it's offered to you." He placed his hand on her head. "Now, accept your fate...my daughter!"_

"_WHAT?" Shaun and Syrus both shouted, in pure shock. Sartorius-or, as he was now revealed, Sartorius Masterson-started glowing white, and so did Hannah. Then, the memory vanished, leaving Shaun and Syrus in what seemed to be a white abyss._

* * *

"_...So..." was all that Shaun could manage._

"_Shaun..." Syrus asked, timidly. "Do you know what the Hand of Fate is?"_

_Shaun opened his mouth to answer, but another voice beat him to it. "That would be me." The two boys turned to see a young woman standing behind them. She looked remarkably like Hannah, except that, where Hannah's hair was dark brown, this woman's hair was pure white. She continued to speak. "I am the Hand of Fate, and I have to admit that I expected to see you far sooner, Shaun." Her voice seemed melodious._

"_I never expected to see you at all, Hand of Fate." Shaun's voice seemed controlled on the verge of anger. "Why are you here, in Hannah's mind?"_

"_Do not worry, Shaun." The Hand of Fate spoke. "Although I was forced here by Sartorius, Hannah accepted me into her mind, and I allowed her my power to help stop his plans."_

"_So, Hannah used your power to help Hassleberry win against Sartorius in his duel." Shaun concluded."_

"_Correct." The Hand of Fate smiled. "By the way, my name is Clara."_

"_Clara?" Syrus asked, frowning._

"_When I was first summoned to this world, my summoner was called Clara." The Hand of Fate, or Clara, as she was now known, smiled. "She was the first experience I had of the human race...and I will never forget her. Her last wish, before she died, is that I name myself after her, so that I could honour her memory for all time."_

"_How sweet of her." Shaun commented._

"_Indeed." Clara replied. Her smile vanished. "Shaun, Sartorius may have been temporarily thwarted, but his plans aren't over. It is important that you do not give up, and that you get as any people as possible out of the Society of Light, before Sartorius can continue his plans."_

"_A premonition of the future, or just advice?" Shaun asked._

"_Both." Clara sighed. "It appears that our time is up." Shaun and Syrus began to vanish. "Syrus, I know you will make Hannah happy. Shaun...stay safe, for Alexis' sake. For the world's sake." The boys nodded, as they disappeared._

* * *

Shaun opened his eyes, realising as he did so that he had returned to his body. He looked to Hannah, who was sat next to Syrus, holding his hand in hers. Shaun crouched next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder so that he could talk to her mentally.

"_Hannah..._" he started.

"_Don't say it, Shaun, please._" Hannah's mental voice sounded strained. "_I heard everything that went on, and I know what you're going to say. And it doesn't need to be said._"

Shaun broke the mental contact with Hannah, wrapping an arm around her. "You're OK with this?" he asked in a whisper.

"We both are-me and Clara." Hannah whispered back. Suddenly, Syrus groaned, as he woke up. Shaun stepped back to let Syrus talk to Hannah herself. "Guys, the duels start in a few minutes, so I'm heading back to start them off. I'll leave you two to talk." Shaun vanished back into the Ether after saying that, leaving the couple alone. Well, the triplet, counting Clara, the Hand of Fate.

Syrus and Hannah were sitting on the bench again, but this time, Syrus and Hannah had their arms around each other, staring into each other's eyes.

"Hannah..." Syrus began to ask, before Hannah placed a finger on his lips.

"Let me guess: You wanted to ask about my father." Hannah said, sadly. Syrus nodded. "I don't know what's happened to him, Sy. He's changed since he joined the Society of Light."

"How so, Han?" Syrus sounded saddened now.

"You saw how he was in my memories, Sy." Hannah had already shown Syrus another of her memories-one where her father was his normal self. She started sobbing, crying into Syrus' shoulder. "He's changed so much, and I just want him back, Sy. Back to his normal self."

"There there, Han." Syrus comforted her. "We'll all get him back, I promise."

Hannah rubbed her eyes, before leaning to kiss Syrus' cheek. "Thanks, Sy." She stood. "We're gonna have to run if we're going to catch your big brother's duel." She started doing just that. "Race ya, Sy!" she shouted, as Syrus started to follow her lead.

* * *

New Cards introduced:

Energy Store  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: When this face-down card is removed from the field, this card's controller gains 1000 Life Points for each turn it remained face-down on the field. If this card is activated (by any means), it is removed from play.

Draining Gift  
Equip Spell  
Card Text: The equipped monster gains 800 ATK, but its effects are negated. During each of your opponent's End Phases, your opponent can draw 1 card.

Cyber Regeneration  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Pay half of your Life Points. Special Summon up to 3 "Cyber Dragon" monsters from your Graveyard.

* * *

_Next Time:_ The showdown between Zane and Chazz, where Chazz unveils a new deck! And, in what will be the second of a DOUBLE chapter, Syrus and Hannah face off for the last spot in the quarter-finals-but will all be as it seems here? Find out in Cyber Spear Nation and Galaxy Duel: Round Two!

* * *

Note: It's a story involving magic, and a fortune-telling madman. Please tell me you weren't expecting someone who could control fate itself!

Ah well, now the secrets are out. Well, most of the secrets-don't forget "Revelations".

* * *

Please Read and Review! Thank you!


	26. Cyber Spear Nation and Galaxy Duel Two!

Heya! Shaun1e here once more, with Chapters Twenty-Nine and Thirty! Two duels, each with their own surprises. Who will win? Read on, and find out!

**Disclaimer:** Unless it's in the "New Cards/OCs introduced this chapter" of any chapter so far, I don't own it. I do own the storyline used, though.

**ALERT!** Any card ideas you want me to try and include, feel free to send 'em to me! If I can fit them in without ruining a deck by doing so (and that isn't easy to do with a single card), then I will!

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Cyber Spear Nation!

Syrus and Hannah arrived at the arena just as the duel began. Zane and Chazz were standing across from each other, staring each other down. Around the arena, several hundred people were waiting with bated breath for the duel to begin. In the chancellor's box, Chancellor Sheppard, Maxwell and Felicity were literally glued to the glass, anticipating a great duel.

Zane motioned to Chazz. "You can start."

"Oh no, I couldn't." Chazz smiled. "You start, Zane."

* * *

DUEL!

Zane: 8000  
Chazz: 8000

"Alright, if you insist." Zane drew his sixth card. "I summon Cyber Phoenix, in Attack!" The metal bird appeared, wreathed in flames. (1200/1600) "I also play Different Dimension Capsule, placing a card from my deck within it for two turns." The capsule appeared, as Zane walked to it and laid a single card inside it. The capsule then shuddered as it buried itself into the ground.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that the card in that capsule's Power Bond." Jaden said, to Misty (next to him, Jaden's arm around her), Marc, Mai, Shaun and Alexis.

"Actually, Jay, I'd disagree." Shaun smiled, knowingly. "I'd say he put a card called Cyber Nation in there." Mai frowned.

"How can you be so sure of that, Shaun?" Mai asked, sounding a little confused.

"Two reasons, Mai." Shaun chuckled. "One; I told Zane of that combo myself." The group exhaled slightly. "Two;" Shaun pulled out his PDA, which had an image of the duel on it-with all hidden cards revealed. "I can see it on here."

"Why am I not surprised?" Mai sighed. "You always had to know everything, Shaun."

"Not everything, Mai." Shaun sounded slightly offended at that. "Only the important things."

"Now, I'll place two cards facedown, and end my turn." Zane's face-downs appeared, as he concluded his turn.

"My turn." Chazz drew. "I'll start with Dragon Rage, allowing me to discard one Dragon-Type monster each turn to deal 400 points of damage to you. Damage that cannot be negated!" Zane remained impassive as Chazz deposited his Decoy Dragon into the Graveyard, and the blue fire from the Dragon Rage card hit Zane.

Zane: 7600 (400 from Dragon Rage)  
Chazz: 8000

"Next, I'll play Spear Pillar!" That actually surprised Shaun.

"Spear Pillar?" Marc asked.

"A powerful Ritual spell." Shaun answered, faintly. "And a rare one-apparently, only two exist in the entire world."

"To use this Ritual Spell, I must tribute monsters whose Levels add up to 10-like these two." Chazz held up his Light and Darkness Dragon (_Author Note: For those of you who hadn't figured it out yet, yes, Chazz IS more like the manga version of Yu-Gi-Oh GX, in terms of his deck only. And for those of you who've figured out the reference already, I own nothing except what has been claimed at the start of the chapter._) and his Dragon Egg, before depositing them into his Graveyard. "I must also pay 1000 Life Points."

Zane: 7600  
Chazz: 7000 (1000 damage from Spear Pillar)

"Now, I can summon an almighty creature-one which controls time itself!" Chazz shouted.

"Oh boy." Shaun muttered. "Looks like he's a Diamond fan." People around him frowned at him, confused at what he had said. He didn't notice.

"I summon Dialga, Dragon of Time!" The fearsome blue and white beast appeared within the Spear Pillar, roaring at Zane. (3800/3200)

"Dialga..." Shaun muttered. "Able to bend time to its will. Let's hope Zane can handle the Pressure."

"Dialga has a number of powerful effects." Chazz started to explain. "Firstly, any card cost which involves sending Dragon-Type monsters to the Graveyard-either from Deck, hand or field-is modified to sending the Dragon-Type back to the Deck instead. Secondly, he has three types of attack-I can either use Roar of Time, which allows me to double Dialga's Attack for the battle, but making him unable to battle until the end of my next turn, Draco Meteor, which increases my monster's ATK by 800 permanantly before damage calculation, while decreasing his DEF by the same value after damage calculation, or Steel Claw, which is its standard attack." Chazz's smile became a smirk. "Thirdly, Spear Pillar is now equipped to Dialga-and while it remains equipped, any monster you summon must battle Dialga on the turn it is Summoned!" To say Zane looked shocked was an understatement.

"Do your monster's special attacks work if I battle it?" Zane asked.

"Sadly, no." Chazz growled. "But perhaps they don't need to. I activate the equip spell Adamant Orb!" An orb, the same colours as Dialga, merged with the space on its head, seeming to empower Dialga. (3800-5300/3200-4700) "While the Orb remains in play, Dialga receives a 1500 Attack and Defence boost!"

"May I interrupt for a moment, Chazz?" Shaun shouted suddenly. Chazz frowned, but motioned for him to continue. "Thank you. Now, there's one ability you forgot to mention in your description. Dialga has an ability called Pressure, which weakens any attacking monster by 1000 ATK before damage calculation is applied. However, any monster battling Dialga when Pressure is used will not be destroyed during the battle."

Chazz smiled. "Thank you, Shaun. I had forgotten about that."

"Not a problem, Chazz." Shaun smiled. "Let's see what Dialga will do, then."

"Of course." Chazz's smirk returned. "Dialga, use Steel Claw on Cyber Pheonix!" The dragon slashed a silver-coloured claw at the Phoenix, tearing it apart.

Zane: 3500 (4100 battle damage)  
Chazz: 7000

"That Dialga is seriously overpowered," Hannah commented. Her and Syrus were watching the duel from the arena entrance, stood next to each other holding hands.

"It is." Syrus agreed. "But my big bro can stop it."

"I'm not sure he can, Sy." Hannah looked worried. "Over 5000 Attack, any attacking monster loses 1000 of its ATK, plus any monster he summons is forced to attack it. Plus, on the off-chance he actually manages to get a hit in, the Orb is destroyed instead of Dialga!"

"Zane's gotten out of bigger problems than this, Han." Syrus let go of Hannah's hand to put an arm around her. "Besides, don't you know how this is going to end?"

"Sy, not even Clara can tell this one." Hannah sighed. "Looks like we're back to the old-fashioned method of actually letting the duel play out." Syrus laughed at that, as Chazz ended his turn.

"I draw!" Zane studied his cards-including the card he had drawn with Cyber Phoenix's effect. "I activate my Soul Release, removing from play the three Dragons in your Graveyard." The cards-Light and Darkness Dragon, Dragon Egg and Decoy Dragon-came out of Chazz's Graveyard, and he pocketed them. "That means that, no matter what, your dragon's destroyed at the end of this turn."

"Is it?" Atticus had joined the gathering watching the duel.

"Yep." Shaun turned to Atticus. "Dialga can only remain in play if there is at least one Dragon-Type monster in the Graveyard at the end of each of the opponent's turns. Sadly, Zane seems to have missed the Adamant Orb that Dialga has-don't forget, that Orb will save Dialga once." He then frowned. "_But why would Zane play such an obvious strategy, when Dragon Rage and Adamant Orb is still in play?_" Shaun's eyes widened as he realised what Zane was planning. "_VERY devious, my friend. You'll go far._"

"Next, I activate my face-down, Time Turner, allowing me to skip your next turn, at the cost of three quarters of my Life Points."

Zane: 875 (Life Points divided by four, due to Time Turner)  
Chazz: 7000

"Next, I'll activate my other face-down, Future Fusion, allowing me to merge my five Cyber monsters-three Cyber Dragons, Proto-Cyber Dragon, and Cyber Dragon Zwei, to form the Cyber Ultimate Dragon!" Nothing appeared, causing a few laughs. "Future Fusion requires a wait of two turns for my monster to appear, but I can change that by ending my turn, then activating Pyro Clock of Destiny during my Draw Phase." The fire clock appeared as Zane drew again, and the Adamant Orb equipped to Dialga shattered. (5300-3800/4700-3200) "This advances the turn count for all cards that require it by one turn, allowing my Cyber Ultimate Dragon to be summoned, and my Capsuled card to emerge to my hand!" The massive dragon appeared in a flash of light, as Zane retrieved the card from the capsule. (4800/4000)

"If you thought Cyber End Dragon was bad news, just wait 'til you see this bad boy in action!" Shaun said excitedly. "This dragon can attack every monster on the field once each, and after the monsters are gone, Zane can pay 1000 Life Points to let it attack directly too!"

"That's slightly overpowered, don'tcha think?" Marc finally spoke.

"Ah, but it has two huge drawbacks, Marc." Shaun turned to him, a smile on his face. "Firstly, it needs five specific monsters to be fused together-no Fusion replacements allowed. Secondly, it can only be summoned by one of two cards-Future Fusion, or Ultimate Power Bond."

"**Ultimate** Power Bond?" Marc was surprised.

Shaun cursed. "Damn, forgot that wasn't released yet." He turned back to the duel, ignoring all of the protests that he had caused.

"Finally, I activate my field spell Cyber Nation!" The field turned into a virtual replica of New York City, but with little robot civilians instead of humans. "This field spell allows all of my Cyber monsters to attack directly, as long as there are no monsters on my opponent's side of the field with a Level of 6 or less! And if I choose to attack a monster, you lose 1000 Life Points, even if my monster loses the battle"

"Ooh, sneaky." Craig was impressed, it seemed. "Since Dialga is Level 10, Cyber Ultimate Dragon has a clear shot at his Life Points-or a chance to finish it right there. Not too bad, Truesdale."

"My dragon, attack his Dialga! Ultra Strident Blast!" The dragon charged a massive energy beam, which struck Dialga head on-but not before the Pressure drained the Ultimate Dragon's strength, so that both monsters exploded at once. However, Cyber Ultimate Dragon was still visible through the smoke.

Zane: 875  
Chazz: 6000 (1000 damage from Cyber Nation's effect)

"Looks like you forgot about Pressure, Zane." Chazz's mocking voice echoed through the arena.

"Or maybe not, Chazz." Zane's voice was at its standard tone once more. "Don't forget, my dragon is still in play-and if I activate De-Fusion, I can split it into its five parts and have them all attack you directly!" Chazz's face was a perfect image of shock as the five Strident Blasts struck him directly, actually knocking him right off the stage, and right into one of Shaun's cushioning spells.

Zane: 875  
Chazz: 0 (8900 battle damage-2900 more than required)

Zane wins!

* * *

Shaun grabbed his microphone. "Well, hands in the air if you were expecting THAT!" The whole crowd raised a hand, with Chazz and Shaun sweatdropping. "OK, maybe a bad idea to ask that. Still, good try, Chazz!" The crowd cheered. "Now for the match that everyone wants to see-the return of the Super Mario Galaxy Deck! And today, it's facing the Vehicroids for a shot at the quarter-finals! So, Syrus Truesdale and Hannah Masterson, make your way to the Duel Arena, for it's showtime!" The crowd cheered as the two young duellists stepped onto the arena, whispering to themselves.

"Sy, I'm letting Clara take this one, if that's alright." Hannah whispered to her boyfriend.

"What? How come?" Syrus sounded upset.

"Well, she rarely duels, and she's been moaning a bit." Hannah giggled.

"_Have not._" Clara's mental voice echoed in the two lovers' heads.

"_Oh shush, you._" Hannah turned to Syrus. "That's alright, isn't it?"

"Yeah, of course, Han." Syrus smiled. "You know, though, that means technically, we'd be yet to duel."

"Exactly." Hannah smiled. "I want our first battle to be a private show, not a public one." She turned, to head to her corner. "Don't worry, Sy-none of Clara's tricks for this one-she duels honestly."

"That's good." Syrus noticed as Hannah's posture seemed to change completely. "Good luck, Clara," he whispered, as he walked to his side of the arena.

"_You too, Sy._" Clara's voice echoed back.

* * *

Chapter Thirty: Galaxy Duel: Round Two!

DUEL!

Syrus: 8000  
Hannah (Clara): 8000

"I'll start things off!" Clara drew. "_What kind of hand is this?_" she thought, worried. "_No Field Spells, and no Mario or Luigi! Looks like I'm stalling._" "I summon Luma Kid, in Defence!" The small star being appeared, spinning in mid-air. (700/1450) "While he's in play, I can discard one card from my hand each turn to protect him from battle until the end of your next turn." She did so, discarding another Luma Kid. "I'll place a single card face-down, and hand over to you, Sy."

"OK, my draw!" Syrus smiled after he had looked at his drawn card. "I summon Submarineroid, in Attack!" The toon submarine appeared on the field. (800/1800) "Don't forget, Han, my Submarineroid can attack you directly!"

"I wouldn't, Sy." Shaun murmured to himself. Only Alexis, cuddled up to him, heard that.

"Submarineroid, direct attack!" Syrus shouted, pleased with himself.

"No can do, Syrus." Clara smiled. "Face-down card activate! Luma Shop!" Another Luma appeared briefly, diving into her Deck. "By paying 500 Life Points, Luma Shop allows me to bring any card that mentions the word "Luma"-in name or effect-from my Deck, and activate it. And I choose Star Bit Shower!" Once again, the star bits fell from the sky, scattering around the field.

Syrus: 8000  
Clara: 7500 (500 cost from Luma Shop)

"OK, so she stopped Syrus' attack." Shaun mused. "But she could have called a field spell into play. Why didn't she?"

"My Luma Shop has another ability." Clara giggled. "For every Luma Kid in my Graveyard, I can fetch one more card. And the second card may shock you. I activate Starship Mario!" Syrus stared in shock as the spaceship-planetoid appeared behind Clara. "This card gives all of the effects of Comet Observatory-without the activation cost-plus access to a whole new set of Galaxy Spells!" (Luma Kid: 700-1100-1900/1450-1850)

"Doesn't that card require a discard of a Legendary Plumber?" Bastion shouted down.

"Not when played by the effect of Luma Shop," Clara shouted back, smiling.

Syrus actually gulped at that revelation. "In that case, I'll place three cards face-down and end my turn."

"I draw." Clara's eyes widened at the drawn card. "I play End of the Universe, discarding my entire hand to bring three Field Spells to my hand." She smiled as she chose her three spells, discarding her three cards. "And I think I'll play one now-welcome to the Beat Block Galaxy!" Two blocks, one green and one yellow, appeared just behind the Starship. The yellow one suddenly disappeared, as a new form of Mario appeared. "Meet Beat Block Mario!" Clara shouted, as a catchy tune sprung into life. (_Author Note: The tune mentioned is the level tune from the Beat Block Galaxy itself. Look it up-I guarantee it's catchy._) (Beat Mario: 2400-2800/1700-2100) "Beat Block Mario's ATK and DEF swap at the end of each turn, and he is automatically switched into the battle position that has the most points. Not only that, but while the Beat Block Galaxy spell remains in play, he cannot be destroyed by battle!"

"Ouch." Maxwell said, sounding impressed. "Good play, Hannah."

"Actually, it doesn't seem like it's Hannah duelling." Felicity, who was with Maxwell, hadn't heard about the Hand of Fate yet. "I don't know why I think that, but she just seems...different, somehow."

"Luma Kid, attack his Submarineroid!" Clara shouted, a large smile on her face now.

"I activate my face-down, Subterranean Shield!" Syrus shouted. "This lets my Submarineroid burrow underground, also blocking your attack!" The wall of dirt that Submarineroid's burrowing caused rained on the Luma Kid, stopping it in its tracks.

"I still have Beat Block Mario, Sy." Clara kept her smile. "Direct attack!"

"I activate Malevolent Catastrophe, destroying all Spell and Trap cards on the field!" Syrus' shout removed Clara's smile, as the Starship exploded, taking the blocks with it. Syrus' face-down also disappeared, taking Beat Block Mario with it. "My face-down card was Vengeance, and it takes a monster of my choice with it when it's destroyed." The Luma Kid faded away.

"Dammit!" Clara cursed. All she had to use now were Field Spells! She smiled as she saw that one of the Spells she held was one she could use without her Starship. Syrus noticed the smile, and his smile faded slightly. Clara spoke then. "I activate the Field Spell Grandmaster Galaxy!"

"What?" Shaun exclaimed, confused. "Doesn't that card need Starship Mario to be in play?"

"Nope." Clara smirked now. "This Galaxy has different rules to the rest of them. First, to activate it, I must pay 1500 Life Points." Her Life Point counter, both on her Duel Disk and behind her on a large screen, dropped sharply.

Syrus: 8000  
Clara: 6000 (1500 cost of Grandmaster Galaxy)

"Now, while the Galaxy remains in play, I can summon one of five specific monsters each turn. Plus, while it remains in play, any monster you control which battles is destroyed at the end of the turn it battles!" Clara's announcement about her newest card shocked many people-not least Syrus. The one person who didn't appear to be slightly shocked was Shaun.

"_Good play there,_" he thought. "_Syrus will have to take that card out of the equation before he can deal any amount of damage._" Shaun frowned suddenly. "_None of the monsters summonable by that card can survive long, even with Grandmaster Galaxy in play,_" he realised. "_So what's she going to do now?_"

"I choose to summon Grandmaster Yoshi, in Attack!" Clara shouted that as a green Yoshi appeared on the field, striking a pose. (2500/2200) "My Yoshi deals you 500 points of damage every turn, as long as Grandmaster Galaxy remains in play. And yes, Sy," she said, before Syrus could ask, "I mean EACH turn-mine and yours!" To say Syrus looked shocked at this revelation would have won the Understatement of the Year Award. "I end my turn." Clara smiled.

"I draw." Syrus was a little bit worried by that Field Spell and, looking at the three cards he held, there was no way he could get it off the field. He still had his Submarineroid, though, and he saw a combo he could use.

"I summon Cyber Dragon Zwei!" (1500/1000) That shocked a lot of people. Not least Zane.

"_When did Syrus get a Cyber Dragon?_" Zane thought, confused. Another thought occurred to him. "_Even with that dragon, what's he going to do with it?_"

"Next, I activate my Dragon's special ability-by revealing a Spell Card in my hand, his name becomes "Cyber Dragon" until the end of my turn." Syrus revealed a card that one person recognised instantly.

"_Power Bond?_" Zane suddenly figured out what Syrus was doing, and nodded in approval. "_Very good, Sy. You've done it!_"

"Next, I'll activate my other card-the Field Spell Metal Madness!" The arena turned into a junkyard, as Grandmaster Galaxy was destroyed, Clara looking devastated at the loss of her card. Syrus continued. "Now, by paying 1000 Life Points, I can convert every monster on the field into Machine-Types!"

"_Hang on,_" Shaun was the one to ponder this time, as Yoshi's skin became metallic. "_I thought I knew what he was doing, but he didn't need to convert Yoshi. What's he planning?_"

Syrus: 6500 (1000 cost of Metal Madness, and 500 damage from Grandmaster Yoshi)  
Clara: 6000

"As well as that, for each monster converted by Metal Madness, I can place one Metal Counter on Metal Madness!" (Metal Madness: 1 Metal Counter) "Each Metal Counter counts as one Level 1 monster for a Fusion or Synchro Summon, or effect tribute!"

"_Wait a minute..._" Zane suddenly figured it out. "_That card wasn't Power Bond...it was..._"

"Now, I activate Tuner Calling!" Clara's eyes widened as a new monster-Tuner Cell (1400/1600) appeared on the field. "All I need to do to summon my Tuner is give up a Level 1 monster-and the Metal Counter worked perfectly for that." Syrus smiled at Clara. "No hard feelings, Hannah-but this duel's mine!"

"Alright, if you're so confident, let's see what you've got, Sy." Clara smiled-she REALLY wanted to see what her other self's boyfriend had planned.

"OK, if you're sure." Syrus' smile grew slightly. "I combine the Level 4 Cyber Dragon Zwei with the Level 4 Tuner Cell to summon the Level 8 Cyber Synchro Dragon!" Of all the surprises that Syrus had sprung on the crowd-and Clara-this turn, this was one of the biggest ones. The dragon summoned appeared on the field with a earth-shaking roar. (3000/2800)

"_OK, I really need to start using Synchro Monsters._" Zane's face was a picture of shock and admiration of the dragon.

"_When did Syrus get that?_" Shaun was confused at this point. "_More to the point, when was it released?_"

"Now then, for one more shock. By Tributing one Machine on the field, my monster gets two attacks this turn! And I choose to Tribute your Yoshi, due to the effect of Metal Madness!"

"Say WHAT?" It was clear that Clara hadn't seen this card before. As her Yoshi was absorbed into the Dragon, however, Clara smiled sadly. "Well done, Sy. I have nothing I can do to stop you."

"In that case, Cyber Synchro Dragon, finish this!" Syrus' voice was just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the Dragon sapping the last of Clara's Life Points.

Syrus: 7000  
Clara: 0 (6000 battle damage from Cyber Synchro Dragon's two attacks)

Syrus wins!

* * *

A slight twinkle of light caught Syrus' eye as his Duel Disk deactivated. A few seconds later, Hannah ran over to him and enveloped him in a close hug.

"Well done, Sy!" she said softly, smiling. "Clara's in a mood now, though."

"_No I'm not!_" A mental argumentative voice from Clara echoed in both of their heads.

"_Sorry, Clara._" Syrus apologised mentally.

A sigh echoed in Syrus' mind. "_No need to apologise, Sy._" Clara's voice again, although it was a lot softer than just before. "_That was a great duel, and I'm honoured to have faced you._"

"_Thanks, Clara._" Syrus smiled. Out loud: "Should we get off the stage now?"

"I think that's a very good idea, Syrus." Shaun's voice made both Hannah and Syrus jump. They quickly hopped off the stage, running to the stands. Shaun chuckled, holding up a microphone. "Round Two of the Duel Academy Challenge is now over!" The crowd cheered. "Progressing from today 's matches are Craig Devlin, Tyranno Hassleberry, Zane Truesdale, and Syrus Truesdale!" The crowd cheered again. "Now, the quarter-final draw will take place! Here we go!"

The big screen showed all eight names, flashing quickly. "The computer here will randomly pick the names in order, with each pair of duellists battling tomorrow in the order they have been drawn." The first pair of names flashed up. "Duel One will be between Tyranno Hassleberry and Zane Truesdale!" The two duellists strode onto the stage, a large cheer accompanying them. Another two names appeared on the screen. "Duel Two will be between Alexis Rhodes and Misty Muto!" Same level of cheering, different duellists. Alexis stood next to Shaun, smiling at him, while Misty chose to stand next to Zane and Tyranno. "Duel Three will be between... Maxwell Sheppard and Syrus Truesdale." Felicity and Hannah cheered loudest as the two young men reached the stage, Maxwell standing next to Shaun and Syrus next to his brother. "That leaves Duel Four to be between Jaden Yuki and Craig Devlin!" These two were already on stage by the time Shaun had said that. "Good luck to all our remaining duellists, and I shall see you all tomorrow!" Shaun strode out of the arena with Alexis, a loud cheer behind him.

As the arena emptied, a single girl, garbed in the Society stood out of sight watching as Syrus and Hannah left together. "_So that girl is the one who Master Sartorius wants,_" she thought. "_I don't understand why he would want such a weakling within the Society, but orders are orders._" She left the arena, searching for the latest target of the Society of Light.

* * *

New Cards introduced:

Dragon Rage  
Continuous Trap  
Card Text: Once per turn, you can discard 1 Dragon-Type monster to inflict 400 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points. The effect of this card cannot be negated.

Spear Pillar  
Ritual Spell  
Card Text: Pay 1000 Life Points, and offer monsters with a total level of 10 or more from the field or your hand as a Tribute. Ritual Summon 1 "Dialga, Dragon of Time" or 1 "Palkia, Dragon of Space" from your Deck or your hand. After this effect resolves, equip this card to the monster Summoned by this effect. While this card is equipped to a monster, any monster your opponent Summons must attack the equipped monster on the turn it is Summoned.

Dragon Egg  
Tuner Monster  
ATK/DEF: 0/1200  
Level 2, Dragon-Type, LIGHT-Attribute  
Card Text: This card can only be used for the Synchro Summon of a Dragon-Type Synchro Monster.

Dialga, Dragon of Time  
Ritual Monster  
ATK/DEF: 3800/3200  
Level 10, Dragon-Type, LIGHT-Attribute  
Card Text: This monster can only be Summoned by the effect of "Spear Pillar". While this card is face-up on the field, any effects that would cause any Dragon-Type monster you own to be sent from the hand, Deck or field to the Graveyard will instead send the monster to the bottom of your Deck instead. If there are no Dragon-Type monsters in the Graveyard during the End Phase of any turn, destroy this card. When this monster is attacked, the attacking monster loses 1000 ATK, but is not destroyed during damage calculation. When this monster attacks, you can choose to activate one of the following effects:  
-Roar of Time: Double this card's ATK until the end of the Battle Phase. This monster cannot attack again until the end of your next turn.  
-Draco Meteor: Increase this card's original ATK by 800 points before damage calculation. Decrease this card's original DEF by 800 points after damage calculation.

Adamant Orb  
Equip Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be equipped to "Dialga, Dragon of Time". The equipped monster gains 1500 ATK and DEF. If the equipped monster would be destroyed, this card is destroyed instead.

Time Turner  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Pay three quarters of your Life Points. Your opponent skips their next turn. This effect can only be used once per Duel.

Cyber Ultimate Dragon  
Fusion Monster  
ATK/DEF: 4800/4000  
Level 12, LIGHT-Attribute, Machine-Type  
Card Text: "Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon Zwei" + "Proto-Cyber Dragon"  
This card can only be Fusion Summoned by the effect of "Future Fusion" or "Ultimate Power Bond", with the above Fusion Monsters. This monster can attack each monster on your opponent's side of the field once each. This monster cannot attack your opponent's Life Points directly if it has already attacked a monster, unless you pay 1000 Life Points.

Cyber Nation  
Field Spell  
Card Text: Any monster you control with the word "Cyber" in their name can attack directly, if the opponent's monsters are all Level 7 or higher. If a "Cyber" monster you control attacks a Level 7 or higher monster your opponent controls, your opponent loses 1000 Life Points, no matter the result of the battle.

Luma Kid  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 700/1450  
Level 3, LIGHT-Attribute, Spellcaster-Type  
Card Text: You can activate this card's ability by discarding one card from your hand, during your Main Phase. If you do, this card cannot be chosen as an attack target until the end of your opponent's next turn. If this is the only monster on your side of the field while this card's effect is active, your opponent cannot attack, except by a card effect.

Luma Shop  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: Pay 500 Life Points. Activate 1 Spell or Trap card from your Deck that has the word "Luma" in its name or card text. For each "Luma Kid" in your Graveyard, you can activate 1 more Spell or Trap card.

Starship Mario  
Field Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by discarding either "Legendary Plumber: Mario" or "Legendary Plumber: Luigi", or by the effect of "Luma Shop". All face-up monsters with "Mario", "Luigi" or "Luma" in their name gain 400 ATK and DEF. While this card is face-up on the field, you can play Field Spells that mention this card in the Card Text face-up in a Spell/Trap Card Zone, as Continuous Spells. A maximum of 3 Field Spells may be active at one time by this method. While a monster with "Mario" or "Luigi" are face-up on the field, this card cannot be destroyed by a card effect. While this card remains face-up on the field, any Field Spells played by this card's effect cannot be destroyed, but when this card is removed from the field, all Field Spells played by this card's effect are destroyed. Once per turn while this card is in the Graveyard, you can remove from play 1 Field Spell with this card's name in its Card Text to draw 1 card. (_Author Note: Yes, I know this card is practically identical to the Comet Observatory, but this Field Spell lets a duellist use a whole new set of Field Spells._)

End of the Universe  
Normal Spell  
Card Text: Discard your hand. Add 3 Field Spells to your hand. Skip your next Standby Phase.

Beat Block Galaxy  
Field Spell  
Card Text: This card can only be activated by the effect of "Starship Mario". You can Special Summon 1 "Beat Block Mario" from your hand or Deck. While this card remains face-up on the field, "Beat Block Mario" cannot be destroyed by battle.

Beat Block Mario  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2400/1700  
Level 6, LIGHT-Attribute, Warrior-Type  
Card Text: During the End Phase of each turn, the original ATK and DEF of this card are switched, and it is placed in the Battle Position of the value which is higher at that time.

Subterranean Shield  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: Activate when a monster you control is chosen as a battle target. Negate the attack. Until the end of the Battle Phase, the monster is treated as not being on the field.

Vengeance  
Normal Trap  
Card Text: When this card is destroyed while face-down on the field, you can destroy 1 card on the field.

Grandmaster Galaxy  
Field Spell  
Card Text: You can only activate this card when your field is empty. Pay 1500 Life Points. Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 monster with "Grandmaster" in its name from your hand or Deck. While this card remains face-up on the field, any monster your opponent controls that battles is destroyed during the End Phase of the turn in which it battles.

Grandmaster Yoshi  
Effect Monster  
ATK/DEF: 2500/2200  
Level 8, Dinosaur-Type, LIGHT-Attribute  
Card Text: During the End Phase of each turn this card remains face-up on the field, inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

Metal Madness  
Field Spell  
Card Text: You can pay 1000 Life Points once per turn to change the Type of every monster on the field into Machine-Type. For each monster whose Type is changed by this effect, place 1 Metal Counter on this card. Each Metal Counter can be used as a Level 1 Normal Machine-Type monster for Fusion Summon, Synchro Summon and effect Tributes. Once per turn while this card is face-up on the field, you can use your opponent's monsters as Tributes for effects in place of your own.

Cyber Synchro Dragon  
Synchro Monster  
ATK/DEF: 3000/2800  
Level 8, Machine-Type, LIGHT-Attribute  
Card Text: 1 Machine-Type Tuner + "Cyber Dragon"  
Once per turn, you can Tribute 1 Machine-Type monster on the field to allow this monster to attack twice that turn.

* * *

_Next Time:_ Who is this mysterious Society member? And more to the point, what is she planning to do to Hannah? Find out in the next chapter, Menacing Magical Mistress!

* * *

Note: Well, those duels were incredibly well done, I think. Plus, you get a cliffhanger! See how kind I am to ya?

And, oh yes, that's thirty chapters! Well done me! :D

* * *

Read and Review! Thank you!


	27. Important announcement

Heya! Shaun1e here once more, with an announcement. I know this isn't really the best way to do this, but it's the only way I can manage it. Recently, as you've no doubt noticed, I haven't been paying much attention to this story. There are several reasons for this:

-Exams. Yes, I still have them-my last's on Monday-and because of that, I couldn't write much. This leads me to...

-Writer's Block. Yep, I literally had no way to write the next chapter. It's a shame, really, because that was shaping up to be quite good.

-Dissatisfaction. You readers may love it, but I think this story hasn't gone that well. I haven't written it that well, to be honest.

* * *

Thus, I will be REWRITING this story. It will be entitled "The Storm of Light", once again. Once the first chapter of the rewrite is complete, this story will be deleted to make way for the new rewrite.

Thanks so much for your support, readers, and I hope that you'll take the time to read the rewrite, once it starts.

Peace out.


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